Silent Dreams
by ardhoniel.InfinityGirl
Summary: For as long as she can remember, Faith has never had life given to her the easy way. The helmet that conceals her identity, the blade in her hand, her stature, EVERYTHING she is she has had to work for. She survives only for herself. But when she meets five outsiders, she will soon realize how much her life will change. Full summary inside. Rated T just in case.
1. Intro

Summary:

For as long as she can remember, Faith has never had life given to her the easy way. The helmet that conceals her identity, the blade in her hand, her stature, EVERYTHING she is she has had to work for. She questions the meaning of her name when her hope has long been made extinct by Iron Baron's brutality. And when she meets five particular outsiders, little does she know how much her life will change. Rated T just in case.

Hey, all! As you have probably read by the summary, this is a story about Heavy Metal of Season 9: Hunted, or more the character behind Heavy Metal, Faith.

 **So, this started out as an idea for my lil sis back in August shortly after Season 9 came out, but she really loves romance, and if there is none, she doesn't stay interested, so I decided to send this out to everyone else! I've been working on this off and on since August. I know, a few among you might be wondering "where have you been"? Well, I had a rough start to the school year, getting college applications fleshed out and homework AND studying AND getting involved in the community, and I just don't have the time for stories on this website very much anymore. Plus, now it's a lot more difficult to post and update, so that's tough, 'cause my computer won't log onto this site anymore. Just hang in with me. Christmas break is almost here for me, so it will give me time to work super hard on this. When I post this, I should have either most of this or all of this done by that time, so updates WILL WILL WILL 100% be regular. All right, here we go.**

 **This is basically a story about Faith and how she rose to become Iron Baron's second in command and how she took on the title of Heavy Metal. I was so surprised that so few people have even taken the opportunity to expand her character. She was honestly my favorite new Season 9 character, since the rest of the Dragon Hunters I thought were just so-so.**

 **This story is also more figurative than anything, so some things might be difficult to understand, but I hope you still like it regardless. The first few chapters will be prologue, and then the rest of the story will be her thoughts during each episode she appears in, completely canon (I'm not the best person to write AUs, though I love reading them.) Updates will begin every Tuesday mornings (don't ask me why that's the best time for me to update, it just is).**

 **Rules for reviewing: please nothing inappropriate (e.g. swearing, profanity, the like) and please CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM ONLY!**

 **This is just a short intro chapter to see how many people may end up interested in reading this. Until Tuesday, Ardhoniel out!**

#God'sNotDead


	2. Waiting

**Silent Dreams: Prologue, Part I: Waiting**

 **I've been working on this since August, so I couldn't wait to give it out to you guys. All right, here we go.**

 **Shout-outs to JBomb217 and skylor chan for reviewing! Thank you so much!**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **JBomb217: I'm glad you agree with me on there not being enough stories about Faith. Don't worry, I plan to update once a week. The main reason why I published this now instead of when the story was a little more completed was because I knew I would write more often if I was inspired by you awesome readers.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of Ninjago.**

Her mother calls her in for their noontime meal. She sits beside her father, along with her two brothers and three sisters. They sit in order of their age. She is at the end of their clay table, both eyes fixated eagerly on the heaping pile of dragon meat set before them. Her left eye is the normal Dragon Hunter crimson; the other is smaller and is colored a dark brown, a rare and certainly strange occurrence.

She is reminded by her mother not to rush in, to wait for the whole family, a promise she has not been entrusted to keep since she began to crave the everyday meat. She squirms on her chair, waiting, waiting, waiting.

"Go!" she squeals, taking a small piece of meat for herself, gnawing on the bone heartedly. "Faith!" Karei scolds her, but she sees the smile on her older sister's face and continues to eat.

"Tell me the story, Seph," she pleads as her oldest sister wraps the orange blanket tightly around her petite form.

Seph sighs, as she is tired. "You ask for it every night, Faith." But she persists. She knows Seph enjoys the story as much as she does.

"Plleeasssseee?" she says. Seph taps her nose playfully and smiles. "For you, little link. Just for you." She giggles at the use of her nickname.

She pulls the blanket to her face, ready to hear the story, the small ragged doll she calls her Dragon Master (Baba made it for her to play with) pulled into the crook of her elbow.

"Long, long ago, there was an eternal war between the two inhabitants of this realm: the Oni and the Dragons," Seph begins. "But one of each race defied them and came together, and a child was born of their love."

She holds out her Dragon Master doll. "The First 'Pinjitzu Master!" she exclaims, giggling as she hugs the doll.

Her sister fakes an offended look. "Are you telling this story, or am I?" Seph teases. "The First SPINJITZU Master had both Oni and Dragon blood in him, and so he was of both worlds. As he grew up, he grew to resent the never-ending war between them. He wanted to create peace and have them work together. He would often go to each side and try to convince them to end the war, but they would not listen. So he set out and formed a bond with the mother of all dragons, Firstbourne. In order to prove that peace could be achieved, he forged the Dragon Armor with his metal and her fire."

She notices her hand trailing to Baba's anvil beside her where she lies on the floor of his workshop. "Did he use an anvil?" she asks her sister. "Yes, I'm sure he used an anvil," Seph says, then continues the legend.

"The story says that he put on the armor and mounted Firstbourne, riding her through the skies." She imagines a large dragon silhouetted against the orange sky, its majestic wings eclipsing the sun. A man is atop its back, his golden armor glistening in the light. "He rode the beast without chains." No harness, bridle, or reins adorn its front. "What color is Firstbourne?" she asks. Her sister doesn't know, but Seph answers anyway. "Red," Seph decides after a moment. "Like a fire dragon?" she asks.

"Similar, but she can use all the elements, like the First Spinjitzu Master," Seph speaks. In her mind, the dragon breathes fire, ice, lightning, earth, wind, and every other element she can think of.

"How does he ride her without chains?" she asks. "Won't she throw him off? Won't he fall?" She has so many questions that her sister knows may never be answered, but Seph answers them anyway. "I guess the Dragon Master didn't need them," Seph says.

A sudden sight overtakes her, and she has a glint of hope in her eyes. "When I am older, like you, I will ride Firstbourne, like him. And I will meet him when she takes me to him. I can see his armor, and we can ride through the skies together. Then, I can see everything below, and I will make sure we are all happy." She giggles, enamored by her own vision.

She sees Seph's mouth tug in a small smile. "I think you are ready to sleep. The moon is high. You ought to have been asleep by now."

"No!" she protests, grabbing Seph's arm. "Finish the story," she pleads in a softer voice.

"You know the story, Faith. You hear it every night. You could finish it yourself if you wanted to."

"You have to, or I'll never sleep!"

A sigh is released from her sister. "All right, little link. I'll finish, and then you sleep." She remains silent for the rest of the story. "He tried to create peace, but when he realized he couldn't, he left his armor and this realm. Firstbourne guards his armor, waiting expectantly for the day of his return." Seph sees she is sound asleep and leaves her there to dream. A certain sadness overtakes Seph as she watches the young Hunter sleep. Seph sees, Faith does not know about the cruelty of their world. She does not know how hard her life will be. She does not know that it is just a story, the First Spinjitzu Master, that he will never come, that she will never ride Firstbourne. But perhaps it is better that way, perhaps not, to have faith in stories, than to not have any faith at all. Seph does not know.

Mama tells her it is just a game. "I want you to be as quiet as you can, Faith. Hide in this hole. I'll cover it with rocks, and you must be quiet."

"For how long, Mama?" she asks. She stares into the small yet very dark, very frightening hole. "Until Baba finds you," her mother answers. "Do you understand, little link?"

"Yes, Mama," she answers obediently, then she scampers into the hole. Many rocks cover the opening within a few minutes' time. "Quiet as a baby dragon?" her mother's gentle voice quivering with emotion repeats one last time. "Yes, Mama," she says again. The footsteps fade, and it is silent. JUST A GAME, Mama's words repeat in her head. WAIT UNTIL BABA FINDS YOU. QUIET AS A BABY DRAGON. "It's just a game," she whispers to herself. If it's just a game, why is she so scared?

There is noise outside, more footsteps. They aren't Baba's footsteps, though. They are heavy and ominous as they pound the ground beneath their boots. She hears terrified screams from inside their home, and she can look between two rocks to see a man in a tall, black hat and a pale yellow eye walk into her house. His yellowed teeth form a hungry sneer. More people roam about outside. They seem to be looking for something. She presses her back to the wall of her cave, praying that her quick breaths reverberating around the tiny cavern are not heard by them. A man steps on the rocks covering the entrance to her hiding place. Pebbles break off and land in front of her eyes. All he has to do is look closer, lean into the rocks a little bit more, and she will be discovered.

Miraculously, her fortress holds, and he leaves. Mama was always a good bricklayer. She can breathe again, but she can no longer see from her position. The rocks have shifted over the hole, and she dare not move for fear of being heard. The words being spoken are clearer now, but they are words she does not know. "Defiance." What is that? "Punishment." She knows she receives a warning from Baba when she does something wrong. Is it the same? There are more footsteps leaving than there were arriving. Someone is going with them.

She waits. Time passes slowly. She does not hear the familiar sounds of Mama telling her brothers and sisters how to help around the house. She does not hear Baba laboring in his melon garden outside when he has the time. She does not hear the sounds of a happy family. She only hears the sound of her own breathing.

The hours come and go. Baba has still not found her. Her muscles are cramped from being stuck in a small place for such a long time. The sun has set, and the moon is high. Seph would have put her to bed by now. Her stomach grumbles loudly. Something is wrong. Where is Baba? She wants to wait for him and obey Mama, but she is both tired and hungry. What can she do?

She has waited long enough. She digs herself out of the grave. It feels good to have the cool desert wind blow against her face again. She steps onto the ground, stretching as much as she can to banish the stiffness. As she steps into the house, she sees it is completely ransacked. She searches the rooms and finds the entire house empty. There hasn't been anybody here for hours.

What is going on outside? In the distance, loud yells and jeers. The Hunters are cheering for something. She can't understand it. They are too far away. She finds a small melon in the cellar. She places it on their clay table and sits at the end. The melon sits, untouched. Mama always told her to wait for the others. She is listening as well as she can to the hundreds of screams. They sound thirsty, but not for water. What are they thirsty for?

There is suddenly a deathly silence, a knife suspended in the air. It's so long she begins to wonder if there was ever any yelling before. Then, the blade is brought down: the cheers echoing across the arid land. Something inside of her breaks as she realizes they will not be coming to eat with her. "I waited, Mama," she speaks to the darkness. It can hear her, right? A smile forms on her lips. "I waited, Baba. I waited, Spear. I waited, Seph. I waited, Marcis. I waited, Karei. I waited, Mosi." And... they weren't here to see it. She looks down at her food, pushing it away as she begins to sob.

 **A/N**

 **Let me know if you've figured out what just happened. It might be a bit difficult.**

 **In case you haven't already noticed, I have used a writing style where almost every time I refer to someone as "she" or "her", it's pretty much always Faith, just so you guys aren't confused, I'm telling you now.**

 **Here is Faith's basic family tree, if you're wondering.**

 **Parents: Gou and Ehmalei Xia, perhaps some of you know Chinese, I know some. The Chinese character gou,** **垢** **, means dirt or disgrace. Their surname Xia,** **下** **, means lower, so Faith's father's name would roughly translate as "lower than dirt". They also call their father and mother Baba,** **爸爸** **, and Mama,** **妈妈** **, which is also Chinese for father and mother. I don't know why I chose to use Chinese here, I just thought it would make the names sound more interesting. Plus, I didn't feel as if Daddy and Mommy were correct in my mind for this family.**

 **Her siblings are:**

 **Spear: he is 13 years older than Faith, at this point about 19.**

 **Seph: she is 11 years older than Faith, at this point about 17.**

 **Marcis: he is 7 years older than Faith, at this point about 13.**

 **Karei: she is 5 years older than Faith, at this point about 11.**

 **Mosi: she is 2 years older than Faith, at this point about eight.**

 **Faith: at this point in the story, I'd say she's about six years old. Her young self may or may not have been inspired by a sweet young girl of about five years of the same name I took care of at summer VBS. :)**

 **I hope you've enjoyed this story thus far. I've enjoyed writing it, and I couldn't wait to share it. Thank you to everyone who's already faced and followed this story, you people always make my day! Please fav/follow/review/PM/just-read/whatever-you-want-to-do if you haven't already. I want to know how you like this.**

 **Also, March of the Oni trailer last Sunday, like what? Let me know what you thought of that, if you've seen it. If not, check it out! It's on the official Lego YouTube channel. Last I checked, it was at over 60K views.**

 **One more thing: my sis wanted me to ask questions at the end of each chapter for you guys to answer, so here's the first one: WHICH CANON NINJAGO COUPLE IS YOUR FAVORITE AMONG THESE FOUR: JAYA, PIXANE, KAILOR, OR LLORUMI? MY SISTER AND I WILL ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT UPDATE TO MAKE YOU GUYS NOT FEEL SO ALONE.**

 **Ardhoniel out!**

 **#God'sNotDead**


	3. Sparks of Hope

**Silent Dreams: Prologue, Part II: Sparks of Hope**

 **Shout-outs to skylor chan, Bookkeeper2004, JBomb217, and Jaell for reviewing! Thank you so much!**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **JBomb217: Yeah, the first chapter was really sad. I'm kind of sad to tell you it's just the beginning, so heads up. Faith was just so cute in the first chapter, and then she's becoming who we see her as in Hunted. Your choices in couples are the same as mine:). Thank you for supporting this story so much already! You and the other readers are really making me more motivated to write more often.**

 **Merry Christmas to all reading who celebrate it! I inadvertently planned this chapter to come out exactly on Christmas Day! I guess you could say this is my Christmas gift to you all! :) One of the most beautiful things I get to see at Christmas is the love and generosity we show to all our friends and family during this holiday season. Have a great Christmas Day!**

 **I'm not even sure if anyone reads my super long A/Ns. Okay, so I can tell I probably broke a lot of hearts with just the first chapter. I'm right there with you guys. I remember when I wrote those last few paragraphs in August, I was telling my friends that I wanted to cry because of what was happening in my story. I hope you understand why I choose to give her a tragic backstory, because her stoic and rough personality in the show kind of demands for a larger story to be told, and in my mind, this is the larger story.**

 **And something weird was going on when I tried to put transitions between scenes last chapter, and then it looked confusing because the transitions didn't appear in the published version. So I'm putting a SILENTDREAMS sign to signal transitions now.**

 **Answer to the first question: My favorite couple is Jaya. My sister's favorite is Pixane, but it used to be Llorumi.**

 **Here's a longer chapter for you. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of Ninjago.**

The sun rises as another day comes. The elements are her friends. She feels the heat of what's left of her fire on her face. She feels the solid earth beneath her. She enjoys the wind blowing through her matted hair. She sees the lightning clouds when there is a dry storm (A/N think a storm without rain). When the few days come when her water reserves freeze from the cold, she breaks it and holds it in her hands, intrigued at its frozen consistency.

She sighs as she picks herself up off the ground and brushes the dirt off her back. Today will be the same as any day, as it has been for the last eight years. She has grown since her family disappeared, and she has done it all alone.

She will go hunting soon. She has learned how to hunt the lizards that occasionally crawl out of their holes near the cave she lives in. She runs a finger along the point of her spear, testing its sharpness. She will have to replace it soon. When she replaces her weapons, it's unfortunately more like stealing than replacing. But she would rather not call it that. What else can she do? She has nothing. She has learned how to take when no one is looking, to get away without being noticed. Nothing can justify her actions, but she seldom wonders if she even cares anymore.

As she hunts this morning on the outskirts of the Dead's End, she catches the conversation of two unsuspecting Hunters who are passing her way. She manages to conceal herself behind a sand dune, completely hidden from them. She can hear their words clearly.

"Hey, did you hear about the new dragon in the Pit?" one of them asks the other.

"Yeah, I hear it's quite a show. The last guy it fought hardly survived the first few minutes."

"Aye, Stormbringer's a real beauty to behold," the first one says. "I saw her myself. She chased him around for a little while before-pow! She fries him like a lizard to a stick." She has heard of the Pit before, but only a handful of times. From the small bits of information she's retrieved, it's an arena in the middle of the Dead's End. They only constructed it a year or so ago, but it has exploded with crowds every time a dissenter arises. If they don't meet their end in the Pit, they are dragged to the dungeons and never seen again.

Or so she's heard. She has never actually been before or known any who've survived. The thought of watching someone be killed for entertainment sickens her. But, everyone goes. If she is to be a true Dragon Hunter, she must go sooner or later.

 **SILENTDREAMS**

She is walking through the Dead's End. If she is being honest, she is quite nervous. She's going to a place she's never been before, passing by places she's never seen before, and seeing people she's never met before. She decided finally she would head to the Pit. She was too interested in seeing what everyone talks about.

But now that she's headed there, she is second-guessing her decision making. It's pretty easy to tell where the Pit is. It sticks out in the center of the Dead's End like a skeletal lopsided egg raised high in the air. She has been traveling in a straight line. She can easily turn around and go back to her safe cave home.

But she has already come so far. She might as well keep going.

She doesn't know where to go when she reaches the arena. She would rather not be seen in the seating areas. There isn't a show on now anyways. She sees a tunnel on the ground of the outside of the Pit. She goes into it and finds some stairs. They don't go too far into the ground. She guesses they lead to the Pit's floor where they keep the dragons.

The walls are illuminated by torches. The light isn't much, though. It looks as if it's about to be swallowed up at any time by the consuming darkness. Each sound echoes loudly through the hallways. She must tread lightly if she is not to be discovered. She doesn't want to be the next one caught and fed to the dragons.

As she keeps walking, two more hallways, wide enough to allow something large to pass through, are on her sides. The one to her left has sunlight coming from its end. She guesses it leads to the Pit itself. The other, to her right, is a darker hallway that delves deeper into the grounds. She looks closer and sees the bars of a large cage.

Her legs involuntarily find their way to the cage. There are noises coming from inside. There is a large creature inside the cage. No, not a creature. She holds her breath.

A dragon. It displays a magnificent blue color with highlights of bright yellow, its scales almost seeming to reflect the torchlight like a prism refracting the light in a million colors. Its feelers protrude from the sides of its face. Its wings are nearly as large as its body but cannot be outstretched due to the confines of the space. There are chains of vengestone snaked around its neck and snout. Its eyes are closed, as if it's sleeping, but it's standing in place.

The sound of her footsteps as she approaches is magnified across the walls and wakes the dragon. Its electric blue eyes bolt open and lock on her. She freezes, waiting for the creature to slam into the cage and try to come at her.

But it doesn't do that. It only stands there, watching and perhaps waiting. She thinks she would prefer it attempting to attack her over this silence. It's always so agonizing, the silence. She can't stand it.

The dragon still does not move. She doesn't know what to do. One part of her mind tells her that this was a bad idea and that it's dangerous and that she should run now before she is discovered and caught. Now why won't she just listen?

Her feet move against her will once again. It's now she realizes why her body won't obey. It's her curiosity taking over once again. That tiniest part of her wants to know, wants to learn, wants to experience. She silently scolds herself, but the curiosity is still fighting its way to the front wheel.

Her arm bends itself upwards. The dragon still has its eyes on her, piercing through her. She holds her breath as if she's been hurt. Her fingers uncurl ever so slowly until her entire hand is straightened. She takes a step towards the beast. Nothing. Another step. Still no movement. Maybe except for the dragon leaning in the smallest bit. She can almost imagine what its scales feel like beneath her palm, the hot electric breath flowing from its nostrils as it exhales.

"Stop!" The yell is so loud she jumps, her hand immediately drawing back from the dragon. She is too afraid to turn around. She knows she's been found out.

"What are you doing down here?" Is that...? No. Memories resurface, memories so distant she never would have remembered otherwise. She recognizes that voice, the way the voice ends its sentence as if it were asking a question every time, no matter how authoritative the owner tries to sound. She is too afraid to turn around, too afraid that it isn't real.

"I asked you a question, Hunter," the voice speaks, no softer yet no less familiar than before. "What are you doing down here? This is a restricted area." She knows she must be able to wake up from this memory-clouded nightmare at any time, and her hopes will once again be crushed, the freezing, separating ice to encase itself around her once again. No. She must face her fears to stand for what is right. If she can't face her fears now, she won't be able to when the time comes, when she needs to. And she needs to now.

She closes her eyes... clenches her fists... turns around...

She recognizes him. The cropped dark hair. The thin eyebrows accentuated by the blue scar he received as a child to initiate him into the Hunter clans. The youth of a boy contradicting his age in his eyes, as it always had. Does he recognize her? It was so long ago. Perhaps he's forgotten, like she has, about their lives, before destiny tore them apart. She is afraid, afraid he is only a cruel hallucination, afraid he won't remember, afraid... afraid that she will lose him again if she even thinks about going to him. And she cannot bear more false hope. No. She cannot take the first step. Will he know that?

Her eyes never leave his. The hardness in his eyes softens as he realizes who stands in front of him now. She sees him look her up and down, his mouth opening to say something, but nothing comes out. He looks back into her eyes, her eyes. He knows he's found her when he sees her eyes.

"Faith?" he finally asks. He is not smiling. Not yet. He lowers the sword in his hand to the ground slowly, letting go of his hold. He takes a step forward, just as hesitant as she is to uncover the truth. The truth as it rears its ugly head towards them, not the truth their minds lie to them about. The tears teem in her eyes, but they don't fall. Not yet. She won't let them. She had chosen long ago not to waste tears.

"Is it really you?" she asks. It is almost a whisper. He is an arm's length away from her now. He takes her hand in his. She knows that he can see that she needs some evidence, some proof, some REASON to believe he's here.

"I'm right here, Faith," he assures her. Only then does she know, he is telling the truth. No trick of the mind can convince her otherwise. He IS here. Not dead with the rest of them.

She jumps into his outstretched arms, hugging him as tight as she possibly can. She won't lose him, not again. She can't, now that there's so much to live for. She is shaking uncontrollably as she sobs into his shoulder, all the while he speaks comforting whispers that only she can hear, even as he can't believe what has happened either. It's enough for her to be able to see him, hear him, touch him. "Oh, Marcis," she says between choked breaths as she holds her brother closer to herself.

"Everything's going to be all right now," he says. And she knows, he is speaking the truth.

 **SILENTDREAMS**

It's the first time she's laughed in a long time. Marcis always had a great sense of humor. But, she doesn't know if the reason she laughs is because of his joking manner or the overwhelming joy she feels to have him back. He might as well have walked out of a grave, for all she had known. It is still so hard to believe that, after eight years of believing he was dead, here he is, talking and laughing with her as if nothing had happened, as if they had never been separated in the first place.

She tells him over and over again that she is glad to have him with her. She cannot help herself. It's a strange mystery, not knowing how much you miss something when you don't truly know you need it for such a long time. They are silent for a while. She rests her head on his shoulder, just enjoying his presence. The presence that she missed so much she would often wake up choking in the night as if his absence was in the very air she breathed, the same feeling enveloping her in the day, leaving her feeling empty and lost, deep, deep inside. Like the fading light of day as the sun sets, the cold darkness setting in.

The curiosity wins once again. It will most likely get her into trouble one day. She goes about asking slowly, careful to choose her words. "They're not here anymore, are they?" she finally asks. The question comes out more blunt than she would have liked.

Marcis looks away, stares at his hands, focuses his eyes somewhere into the distance. He looks back at her and gives a small shake of his head before looking down once again. She doesn't know why she asked. She has looked back on her early memories. She remembers she didn't know at the time what was happening. She would like to say she still doesn't, but she is a horrible liar. She couldn't persuade herself, let alone anyone else. Mama was protecting her, making sure she was safe and that the Baron wouldn't take her as well. She didn't know that Mama was saying goodbye to her, even as Mama covered her hiding place with the stones. And she didn't get to say goodbye to any of the others. She blinks back her tears. Maybe she just wants to know more.

"What happened?" she asks, afraid her voice will crack from the way it sounds.

He must see her concern, because he does his best to answer well. "I don't know what they were doing to upset the Baron. I'm not sure if he'd even need a reason. Spear and Seph were taken with them. I think it was because they were old enough to be suspected of collaborating with Baba and Mama if they had wanted to. But I wouldn't believe that even if they had told me themselves. And they didn't say anything, so I really do not know. I did not see what became of Karei or Mosi either. We were separated when we were brought here." He sees her eyes widen, and he gives her a small smile. "Don't worry. It was quick." Even though he attempts to comfort her, she can see the pain in his eyes, the eyes that witnessed their executions all those years ago. He seems to be in another world, still haunted by the memories he wishes he could forget but knows he never will. He seems to want to tell her, but she knows he can't. "They didn't Pit traitors against dragons then."

He looks down again, his voice quieter now. "I don't know why I wasn't with them. They must have seen something in me. They put me to work down here." He will not speak of how he would escort many of those traitors after him to their deaths, their pleads for mercy pounding through his head endlessly. Mercy. Mercy that was given him so easily when it could have been spared to those much more deserving of it than him in an instant. "It's a cruel world we've been brought into," he murmurs, not meant for her to hear, but she hears it anyway.

"After they began sending the dragons here, they put me in charge of guarding the beasts," he continues. He reaches out a hand in the blue dragon's direction. His fingers rest on its snout. "The dragons are not savage, as so many here believe. They do not want to be put in the arena any more than the traitors. They just try to survive the same way we do here. Stormbringer here, she only fights because I have orders to starve her until each next fight. The Baron says it 'keeps her aggressive'."

He sighs, and for a moment, she sees resolve in him. "If it were up to me, I'd free her. I can't even bring her meat down here. It's too easy to get caught and executed for interfering with their games." Marcis sighs. "It's not right, what they do."

"No," she says. "It's not." She looks into his eyes to make sure he is listening. "But it's not in your place to question the Baron. I'm afraid, if you did..." She won't finish. Maybe the Baron isn't as bad as some say he is. Perhaps he wouldn't do the things she imagines. Well, she's never met him, and she is perfectly happy to never encounter him in her future. But, she's been surprised with her luck before.

She has lost track of time. It's not until now that she sees the torches have seemed to become brighter, meaning that the sun is setting. She should get back to her home. She's afraid someone will come and rob her of her few belongings while she's gone. It's happened before. After all, they are both grown now, with their own lives to tend to. Unfortunately, circumstances don't change for any of them.

She tells him to visit her, hoping the desperation in her voice is not too evident. She'll be there, waiting for him if he ever finds freedom.

 **SILENTDREAMS**

The chaos around her certainly spells out for her that she's not in her safe cave. It happened very quickly, a little too quickly for her liking. Her spear had blunted. She had needed a new one, so she had decided to sneak into the smithy during the moonless night for one. She had just closed her fingers around a jagged spear hanging on the wall when she heard a yell behind her. She had turned around, and there was a large man wearing spike-laden Hunter clothing, the sleeves ripped off to reveal his pulsing muscles, with scars of all shades painted on his weather-worn face. Or what she could see of his face. The rest of it was covered in a heavy brown turban and scarf. He must have had mistook her for another Dragon Hunter, because he began to yell slurred authoritative orders as if he were in charge of every breath she breathed. Not wanting to raise suspicion, she guessed he was telling her to follow him and had done so until they reached a crowd of intimidating Hunters loading into the dark vehicles she had seen before in the desert, all the while shaking their weapons in the air and screaming war cries. The vehicles scared her, the dark holes reminding her of merciless, bottomless mouths that she would be swallowed up by and would render her unable to crawl out of again. She hadn't been able to breathe as the feeling of too many bodies pressing on her came back to her. She had been whisked back to that hole she had been forced into years ago for a moment, and she was petrified.

And now, she is hiding behind a thin boulder spire. Her hands are gripping the sword shaft that had been thrust into her hands by the captain tightly, trying to shut out the shrieks of the Hunters around her. The fierce fire shakes the ground beneath her and brightens the dark world. Her nostrils flare as the unwelcome smell of burnt flesh betrays to her an unpleasant truth. She is blinded, and her ears ring. Had she not ducked behind the spire one second earlier, she would have been burnt to a crisp. Her mouth opens in a silent scream. DON'T DIE, DON'T DIE, DON'T DIE. These are the only two words bouncing through her head. There's no room for anything else. She dares a peek behind the rock. Two blood-red eyes in the darkness are locked on her, and she can't help but look away, the way a servant will not look at her mistress queen. She doesn't want to say it's reverence, but there's no other word. The hatred in those eyes shakes her to her core.

She has one second to roll away before the chill of everlasting ice encircles her. She narrowly escapes it and is on her feet in an instant. Sounds are coming back to her deaf ears, a blessing of relief but a curse at the same moment. The shadow the size of the Dieselnaut, the shadow that has attacked them, has landed in front of her. She can't move. She knows it has to be the end.

She does not see it clearly, but a form is now clamped in its jaws. The figure goes flying and hits a boulder. She winces as she imagines how painful it must be.

The dragon growls, a low roar that seems to come from the very foundations beneath her feet, as if a terrible beast has been awoken from its slumber. Something comes toward her. Her stomach lurches when she looks closer. It's an arm. An accompanying leg lands nearby as well. She tries hard to swallow the rising bile to keep herself from being sick, and her attempts leave her lightheaded. The shadow heads towards the figure that had been sprawled on the rocks. She can see him clearer now, his eyes glistening in defeat, two dry stumps where his arm and leg should have been. She's sure she'll lose it now.

In an instant, the fury acts, unhesitant. She raises her sword in the air and brings it down on the dragon's leg. It growls painfully, and she sees her sword has cleaved through one of the elongated claws of the dragon. And then, she knows it's coming. The last thing she sees is its spiked tail headed towards her, then she is thrown against the rocks, and she sees no more.

 **A/N**

 **Yeah, so I got this THEORY about the Dragon Hunters when I first watched Season 9 when I noticed that both Iron Baron and Daddy No Legs have lost two limbs. And I thought, how is it they can survive losing two limbs? Because normal people have extreme trouble losing even one. So I came up with a theory that Dragon Hunters don't have blood. Otherwise they would have bled out really quickly, and it makes sense seeing that they have such pale white skin. You can see that this guy who just had his limbs get bit off by this dragon had no blood, so that's just this theory coming into play in this story. Snaps to anyone who can guess who was just attacked by that dragon.**

 **This chapter was originally longer, but I split it up and put more in the next chapter to leave a little more of a cliffhanger and make the third part longer. I'm horrible. ;) I hope you liked the inclusion of Marcis. I couldn't just let her whole family die, right? Fav/follow/comment/read/anything, PLEASE, if you haven't already. Again, thank you so much for taking the time to read this! It really means so much to me as an aspired future writer. Faith has already gone through a lot in her short life, but it's not over yet *evil cackle*. Keep a lookout for the next update, same time next week.**

 **Um, wow. Was anyone SHOCKED to see Faith as a cameo in that new Season 10 trailer? And Cole... man! My sister and I might just not watch this season 'cause it looks so scary!**

 **Next weekly question: WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE VILLAIN, AND WHO IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE VILLAIN?**

 **Lastly, Merry Christmas again!**

 **Ardhoniel out!**

 **#God'sNotDead**


	4. Accepting Fate

**Silent Dreams, Prologue Part III: Accepting Fate**

 **Shout-outs to skylor chan and JBomb217 for reviewing! Thank you so much!**

 **Reply to guest review:**

 **JBomb217: I am so glad you are enjoying this! Your regular reviews are the greatest! So basically, Firstbourne attacked the Dieselnaut when they were hunting, and Faith saved a man who just lost an arm and a leg (i.e. Iron Baron). Yes, I thought Harumi was a quite intriguing villain. She was so mysterious for so long, and she had such a relatable story. XD, I don't like Chen either. He's just annoying and isn't very threatening because he always has someone else doing his evil stuff instead of actually getting involved and doing it himself. Again, thank you for being so supportive of Silent Dreams and reviewing!**

 **My answer: My favorite villain is Garmadon, and my least favorite is Chen. My sister's favorite is Harumi, and her least favorite is Iron Baron (I mean, he's a pretty mean and manipulative dude).**

 **Sometimes, when I need inspiration, I pick up Heavy Metal's mini figure and stare at it. It doesn't help much, but she is still a pretty awesome mini figure.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of Ninjago.**

Cold. The first thing she feels. Where is she? It's rarely ever cold where she's been before, unless she's back in the tunnels under the Pit. She opens her eyes slowly and looks around. The chamber she is in reminds her of the tunnels, with its dimmed torches and brisk temperature. There's only one door leading in and out of the room, a large door, but not as large as the ones the dragons come out of in the Pit. Something in her feels uneasy. She has never liked enclosed spaces. This place is no different.

She knows she's been put out of it the way she feels when she sits upright. Her front aches so bad she feels like she's been run under the Dieselnaut and stepped on by a hundred-count mob to top. After a bit of time, she has managed to right herself and sit on the edge of the cot she's been lying on. She wonders who put her there, how long she has been unconscious, where she is yet again.

The light coming from the door is bright as it opens suddenly, and she jumps into a defensive stance, her hands outstretched in front of her to block the light. She realizes she has no need to defend herself, however, when she sees who walks towards her. It is the man she saved, though his left arm and leg have been replaced by crude metal replicas, one a haggard stick of iron, the other like the claw of some alloy-encrusted crustacean, an always-moving gauge outlined in copper fixed on the front. He strides slowly with a tight, strangely frightening limp, as if he is trying to hide some sort of pain.

She recognizes him, though she didn't when she saved him from that shadow she vaguely recalls attacked them a while ago. It was too dark then. This is the man who sent the goons to ransack her home and drag her family away to their deaths. The Iron Baron himself.

She feels the seething hatred boil and froth in the pit of her stomach, a churning cauldron of poisonous fumes. The man who killed them all is standing in front of her. She could attack and kill him now. Wouldn't it be worth it. But she hides her fury behind a mask of mock confusion. She is in no place to attack him here, even as he is weakened and vulnerable. She won't avenge them when she could die trying.

She is surprised when she sees that he does not treat her as if she is ignorant. He will not play her games. He knows exactly how much she has inside her head just by looking into her eyes. A chill slithers down her spine. His pale yellow eye has that effect often, along with the other, stained with the deaths of his foes and prey. She can steel herself to stare blankly into his eyes, though few can or will even try.

He begins with a few sharp words of introduction that she forgets immediately. She knows who he is, oh, too well, and perhaps he knows that too. Can he recognize her resemblance to the ones he mercilessly executed so many years ago? She will not say she is afraid, but she would certainly rather have learned she had been cared for by someone else. Anyone else but him. Wouldn't she be dead already if he had known? She would have never awoken again. The thought is terrifying in and of itself. That must be it, then. He DOESN'T know.

His next growls pull her back to where she is. "Your skills surpass many I've seen. Few should be able to rise against Firstbourne and live to tell the tale, yet, somehow, you succeeded." No. She cannot find any peace at all. She still doesn't know if he knows who she is. She decides to keep silent. There must be a reason why he has mentioned her "skills".

But was the dragon that attacked them really Firstbourne? The mother of all dragons? That must have been why she had felt humbled in her presence.

"I am willing to offer you a position among my Hunters, provided you prove your loyalty to me and to me only. Should I become unconvinced... I will say, more than your position will hang in the balance," he tells her. Hanging in the balance. Much like the sword that must have been brought down on her parents' and siblings' heads from his hand.

"I will be taking leave soon to pursue Firstbourne. The wretched beast hoarded its bone, the one I watched you sever, and retreated into its nest to lick its wounds," he continues. He says he will take his best Hunters to find the nest and retrieve the bone. "It will prove useful to me in conquering this realm should I reclaim it." She scoffs inwardly. Reclaim it? It was never his to begin with.

He begins to walk towards the door. "I leave to endure the troubles before me. I suggest you take time to recover while I am gone. And I expect your decision to be made by the time I return." He is gone with the metal scraping of the closing door, just as suddenly as he arrived.

He came to her. Why her? It feels like a fleeting dream, a passing nightmare, there one second and gone the next. Her mind reels, endlessly searching the possibilities, and she can't see an alternative. The Baron has graciously offered her a chance at a life beyond what she could ever have achieved on her own. How could she refuse? Perhaps she would become a Hunter after all.

 **SILENTDREAMS**

The Baron would return alone in a presumed state of devastating remorse and perhaps regret after being ambushed by Oni. He had failed to kill Firstbourne, but he had managed to claim the bone that he had already begun to carve into a sword for himself. She never questioned what had happened to the ones who never came back. Perhaps she should have. She trusted his word, though she didn't know why.

She would accept his offer and be accepted into the inner circle of Hunters sufficiently loyal to him. She, from time to time, would think about the pain and sadness their families had to be going through. How she knew their suffering, their longing to see something that would never come true for any of them. Why did her world force them to lose what they desired to keep and keep what they desired to lose? She has come to the decision that she will never know.

 **A/N:**

 **So this is an extremely short chapter. I originally wanted it to be much longer, but I need a bit more time to get the next chapter or two completed. I am a bit behind on schedule. It doesn't mean the updates will not be regular, this one was just shorter, and this felt like a good place to stop. Don't worry, it's not near over yet!**

 **Because I literally waited until the last minute to split this chapter, I will ask this one question. This is a pretty lame one, but then again I had to come up with this on the spot.**

 **WEEKLY QUESTION: WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE VOICE ACTOR WHO VOICES IN THE SHOW?**

 **Thank you for reading! And please, please, please, PLEASE review! It's really nice getting to know what you all think about this story so far!**

 **~Ardhoniel**

 **#God'sNotDead**


	5. Dead Inside

**Silent Dreams, Prologue Part IV: Dead Inside**

 **So, because I rightfully don't remember the exact date, I'm just going to choose January 6 as the anniversary of becoming an author on this site, because the first chapter of my first story had been published on that date. So, happy one-year anniversary to me, I guess. :)**

 **Shout-out thank-yous to skylor chan and JBomb217 for reviewing! And I got a new follower!**

 **Reply to guest review:**

 **JBomb217: Faith does end up being Heavy Metal, but I can't help but think that Faith didn't ever really want to work for him. I understand about the indecision when there are so many talented people working on this show. It's really cool. I'm glad you are really enjoying this. :)**

 **My answer to last week's question: I really think Mark Oliver (Garmadon) is an amazing voice actor who deserves to be in bigger things than just small animations. He's just plain awesome at voicing literally anyone. But, honestly I think Britt McKillip (Harumi), Brent Miller (Zane), and all the rest of the cast really do an amazing job, so it's really hard to choose!**

 **WARNING ahead of time: this chapter contains tragedy (in other words, it's quite sad). Please know I warned you. With that said, let's get out of the author's note and jump right into the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: all I own is this story.**

 _She raised the large harpoon gun, too big for her hands, and was nearly knocked back by the force of its firing. The chain didn't even come close to the spire she had been aiming for. She let out a frustrated cry. "I can't do it, Baba," she called to her father. "It's too hard."_

 _"Faith, if you do not learn to live by these bonds, you will certainly die by them. You cannot choose otherwise," her father said gently but with a tone of authority, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Reload," he told her. She obediently retracted the chain, but the gun hit her square in the front as it pulled the chain back into starting position. She fired again, but it was even farther off than before. She threw the gun down and kicked it, then started hopping around because, ow, she had hurt her toes when kicking it. "I'm too little, Baba. I cannot do it." And she stormed off on her short little legs, sitting down cross legged on the sandy ground to rub her foot absently._

 _It wasn't that she didn't want to shoot the gun. She wanted to, more than anything. But she was small. She already understood that she was falling behind. Even Mosi knew how to shoot Baba's gun, and Mosi was only two summers older than her. She held her head in her hands, her round baby face scrunched tight with her eyes squeezed together._

 _She felt someone sit down next to her. She didn't look up. "I want to be alone," she told the person._

 _"If you're alone, you will never learn anything from anyone, Faith." She was startled at the voice. Marcis. She lifted her head and looked at him. He held his hand out. In it was the harpoon gun, facing away from her. She pulled up her legs and lay her head on her knees, looking down at the ground beneath her._

 _"Faith." She listened, though she made no indication of it. "Listen. Soon enough, you are going to have to learn to take care of yourself. And if that means using the gun, you use the gun. Baba just wants to keep you safe. That is the only reason why he is teaching you now." She felt his fingers reach out and tickle her in the side. She giggled, and before she knew it, she was in the middle of a full-out war. The tension pent up inside of her was released as her sides ached from laughing._

 _It ended soon after. "Come on, I'll help you." She could hear that mischievous smile on his face._

 _She didn't know she was up on her feet until she was handed the gun in front of the spire once again. He helped her hold the heavy gun to her shoulder, told her to look down the spotting mechanism when aiming, showed her how to pull the gun towards herself after it's shot so that the chain curls around the spire. She didn't get it the first time, but then she gasped as the chain curled around the rock and locked in place the second time._

 _"See?" Marcis said. "You can do it." She wrapped her arms around her brother and hugged his legs as tight as her short arms could. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, hugging her back. She could stay there forever, safe in her brother's embrace._

 **SILENTDREAMS**

She is awake. Dreaming. A cruel act of the mind. She remembers that day, but she doesn't remember if she actually chained the rock or not. Did she only imagine it?

She shakes the memory out of her head. She chooses to forget. She is not Faith. Rather a ghost of the girl who died along with her family. She still lives and breathes, but she is not alive.

There is no need for a hunt today. She will be needed at the Pit, she remembers. She steps out of the small hut she was given by the Baron, a privilege most of the Hunters don't receive. Yet again, she is faced with the question of why Iron Baron has been so gracious to her. She doesn't speak of it, though. If she were to be caught thanking him, the Hunters might very well take her for weak prey and question him about keeping her, and then where would she be? She has come so far. This is about as good as her life could get. She will not lose her position now while she can help it.

The very air surrounding her feels electric, like some of those odd storms they get when lightning dragons are close. She hears yells from the Pit. Not the queerly normal, bloodthirsty kind. She changes from a walk to a run, her mind racing with scenarios. What is happening?

She has just reached the yawning entrance when she is knocked to the ground by a large blur of a creature. Lightning dragon. Stormbringer, her eyes tell her as they adjust. She pushes herself to her feet before she has even had time to recover her breath from the fall. The blue dragon's jaws flow with pooling electricity, and she dodges the lightning blast by a mere second. It hits the ground behind her, spreading through the fibers of the branches of a dead bush, setting it on fire.

The dragon growls and swings its tail at her. She jumps away and begins to run to gather herself, her head light from the lack of air. She catches sight of more Hunters approaching Stormbringer, wielding javelins and flails, but the dragon shoots her lightning at each one of them.

She runs into her hut quickly and wrenches the harpoon gun above her bed off the wall. Her trained hands are fast to load the chain into it. She runs back out the door and begins to scale her wall just as Stormbringer begins to glide through the air, not making a sound. As she climbs onto the roof and aims, everything freezes around her, and she is forced to wait for that curiosity again. She can't help but admire the way the dragon seems to swim through the air, its wings tucked into itself like a precarious and graceful dancer. It's rather a beautiful creature. Then, her thoughts return to her, and she pulls herself out of the trance, preparing to shoot. But she feels tense. It's not until a few seconds later she realizes why. She is hesitant. Stormbringer has a broken chain collar around her neck. Nothing but a remnant of chains she very well can leave behind if she escapes. What is she saying? Is it possible that she is thinking of herself rather than the dragon?

She could let the painfully lovely creature go free. Or she could catch her and send her back to a life of being forced to attack and kill for sick sport.

But if she lets the dragon fly away, she will be at fault, and her position will be jeopardized.

No. Her emotions must not get in the way. Best not to let herself think twice about it.

She takes aim at Stormbringer's wings. She imagines firing at the motionless rock spire as her fingers pull the trigger.

The gun jolts into her shoulder as it fires the glowing orange chain. She knows she has missed before the chain even comes close. It wraps around the lightning dragon's back leg, but a quick movement, and the chain is shaken away and falls to the ground. Gritting her teeth, she rushes to reload, but by that time, Stormbringer is too far away. She sees more Hunters firing at her, but the dragon glides upwards until she is too high up for them to reach her. Stormbringer is free. She watches the dragon disappear over the umber horizon. And, what is this? Does she feel relieved for missing?

She hears the others speaking as she vaults down her wall. "Saw it myself. Just broke out of her collar like it was thread."

"She was just so fast. It was almost like she knew how to escape." "...Could have taken her out myself, if I hadn't been so shocked." There were some laughs.

"Whoever was watching the beast must have really been doin' their job poorly."

Watching.

Doing their job.

Stormbringer.

Broken collar.

Marcis.

Marcis.

Marcis!

His words rush back to her.

"They put me in charge of guarding them."

"If it were up to me, I'd free her."

"It's not right, what they do."

No. He wouldn't. He wouldn't! Would he? If he was to be caught, the Baron would surely never let him live.

Dread bubbles up from inside her stomach. She feels sick. No. She needs to know for herself. She must get to him before they do!

She drops the gun and takes off towards the Pit.

Marcis. How could you have been so stupid?

No. She mustn't think this way. She's been feeling off for this entire morning. She wants to blame it on delusions, her vivid dream, anything but reality.

She doesn't know if he freed Stormbringer yet. The creature could have found a way out on its own, right? But something, her fear, leaves her with a hollow and cold feeling that tells her she is wrong in assuming he didn't free the dragon. She can't think of anything else.

The descent into the tunnels feels steeper than before. She doesn't recognize anything. But she's been here before. Her confusion can only force her to run faster.

Each second passing is another second lost to the eternal depths of precious time. The unremitting twists and turns of the tunnels dizzy her. She _must_ find the cage they kept the dragon in. But will she be ready to face the truth, no matter what it may be? She can only pray it is not what she despises.

Her hands fly in front of her and catch the bars she has almost run into. It is so dark, she almost didn't see them. Her feet scuff about the hard ground, searching for a secure foothold. Her hobnailed boot collides with something lying there. She picks it up and brings it to the torch to get a better look at it.

An unsheathed sword, the kind that she's seen the Hunters use to cut chains with.

Its owner, nowhere in sight.

She feels around once again and finds the door to the cage unlatched, the key still tight in the lock.

The key that she has seen Marcis carry on his belt.

He is not here.

 _Where is he?_

Throwing the sword aside, she runs back the way she came. It takes nearly twice as long, she knows, to reach the outside again. This only makes things worse. They must have taken him straight to Iron Baron. Perhaps if she can reach him before they arrive, she can find him. She must be quick, though, or there may be no one left for her to save.

She runs, hiding in the shadows of each tent and hut that she passes, keeping out of sight of any other Hunters. She cannot have anyone stopping her. Her head is constantly moving, searching for him. They could be anywhere by now. She wishes she could just fly into the air and descend on them now.

She catches a glimpse of a rather small group of Hunters stopping just outside of the Baron's throne room. And is that-? Yes. She recognizes Marcis in the middle of them. But there is no way she can rescue him without being seen. She sprints as fast as her feet can travel to the back entrance that the Baron showed her in an attempt to see what will happen. She tries to close the metal door as quietly as possible, but it still groans ominously with every inch. She ducks her head into the darkness, hoping that no one heard that, and reaches the back of the throne chair as if she has been there this whole time.

One Hunter, his head covered in a dark turban, kneels before the metal pirate. "My Excellency, we have caught the culprit of Stormbringer's escape." Marcis is pushed forward on his knees in front of the Baron's seat, his hands tightly bound with chains behind his back. The Baron steps off his elevated throne and strides towards her brother, completely silent.

She can't breathe.

Marcis lifts his head slowly and stares at Iron Baron straight in the eye.

She is exasperated at what she sees in his eyes. There is not one inkling of fear...anger...regret. Nothing. Marcis could have very well been looking at any other fellow Hunter rather than the murderer himself. The Baron seems to notice this as well. He draws the Dragon Blade in front of her brother and twirls it carelessly. She can't help but stiffen. He could kill him at any time.

"We have reason to believe the dragon didn't escape on its own," another Hunter, a female voice, adds. "Found a sword on this runt 'n' the key still in the door."

Though her lips do not make a sound, she is yelling at the prisoner. Please, say something in your defense, she implores him. Resist. Lie. Do whatever it takes to save yourself. You do not deserve to be slaughtered so needlessly.

He is silent.

"I know you." He does? Iron Baron continues his thought. "You're related to those traitorous scum Gou and Ehmalei that I killed all those years ago. It only makes sense that their son would carry on the tradition, eh? I must say, you would have won their name back with pride if you hadn't been so careless." The Hunters around Marcis laugh in resigned response. She sees through the Baron's rise. He is trying to evoke a reaction out of him. It is all she can do now to stop herself from tackling the Baron now. How dare he speak of her parents that way!

But for Marcis, if there is any hint of a reaction, it is covered expertly. The way a flame can be put out by the sand.

"I will say this once," Iron Baron purrs. "The only thing you have to fear is your death. Enlighten me of your side of the story, and I might be entertained enough to grant you mercy."

The boy looks into the Baron's crimson eyes. "The only thing you will hear from me is my undying defiance of your fiendish ways and your inexcusable lust for death." Whisperings travel throughout the room, an unseen spirit of rebellion worming its way into their hearts. All she can see in his eyes is silent defiance. He spots her among the witnesses.

The sword is raised high over Marcis' head. Not even a flinch from him.

Her mouth opens in protest, a small and almost indistinguishable yell. Hardly anything, but the Baron hears it.

The blade stops in its set course. His head pivots in her direction like a planet turning on its axis, his eyes studying her, his armed hand still poised above her defenseless brother. She closes her mouth quickly to avoid more attention, but it's as if every eye slaves to his will. There is not one here that does not look upon her. She has upset their routine, interrupted their ritual.

The murderer's head swivels from her to Marcis back to her again. A devilish smile plots ferocity and suffering to inflict on his next unlucky foe. She holds her breath. He can't possibly have figured it out. Could he? The resemblance cannot be that obvious.

Wait. What is happening? He is lowering the sword. He is not looking at Marcis. She can almost feel his sudden indifferent feelings towards the situation. She is confused. However, about to sag in relief, glad that she did something to stop him, when she stops, and sees...

The sword's handle is being extended in her direction.

No.

There must be some mistake, some illusion taking over. She looks around and sees their eyes have not left her. No one else steps forward to claim the offer. She looks back at the sword... the Baron... the _sword_ , comprehending what she is to do.

No. It can't...

As if it's not enough for her to handle, Iron Baron twists the knife. "I want everyone to watch this. No one leaves this room without my consent. Watch the moment when the child becomes the Hunter."

The sword is extended farther. "Take it, Faith." He has called her by name, she realizes. "Take this one chance to become who you truly want to be."

What is happening? Why is she moving towards him? She sees her hand reaching out to grasp the weapon, but it is like watching a reflection in a pool of water. It is almost like she is not in control of herself. Is she, really?

She comes to stand in front of her brother's kneeling figure, the sword gripped in her hand as a drowning person clings to a lifeline. For a moment, she can make herself believe he is nothing more than a criminal before her, awaiting his death sentence.

And then, she looks into his eyes. Those eyes. The same hue as the Baron's, but innocent, childlike, not stained blood-red by the slaying of many. Completely trusting of her. Go ahead, she can hear him say. _If you do it now, you can have the life you've always wanted_.

He is right. This is the opportunity she has waited an eternity for. This is the bridge she must cross to journey into unseen territory, territory that could be green and beautiful if she would just let it be. If you want something bad enough, you find a way to make it happen. Right?

It's not just what she wants, it's what she deserves. All the hard work she has put herself through could be discarded as easily as worthless garbage if she refuses now. If she kills him without hesitation, everything will go well for her. Wasn't it merely an hour ago when she said that nothing would come in her way of being the best Hunter she could be?

She fights the urge to choke on her thoughts, to spit out the foul taste the bitterness leaves in her mouth. It can't be any more than a small flick of the wrist. _Just get it over with_ , a voice screeches, unearthly in nature. The bone-picker of her soul, devouring her alive until there is nothing to gather but the cold. Truly, how much lonelier would she be if she refused? How can she refuse?

With one last glance into her brother's eyes, her face hardens as she makes her decision.

Her fingers tighten around the handle as she raises the sword.

Marcis' eyes close, his head bowing in final submission.

She inhales sharply, closing her eyes...

The harsh, hollow sound of the blade clattering to the floor echoes in all of their ears, the final drum beating vigorously. Uniform eyes settle on her motionless form.

This is her decision, they realize. She will not be the one to rob him of his chances to live. This is no less than a life in her hands. In the end, Marcis is her _brother_. She can't, and she won't. The bone-picker has nothing to feast on if there is nothing dead to scavenge in the first place.

"No." The utterance of that one word is all that is required to emerge all into black chaos. Whispers spill out of lips like a gushing fountain, a thick, unpalatable liquid of opposition pouring forth.

Incensed by his one true follower's actions, with one flick of his own right wrist, the seething despot masters the discipliners, dictates the judgement. The puppeteer pulls their strings to run him through. Her ears cannot hear the order the Baron shouts to destroy.

Her mouth opens in a silent scream as her reality is laid out before her. The gutted gasp he showers on her. His beautiful eyes, the eyes that always saw her as nothing less than herself, the eyes that she could confide in, unmask all her feelings before, the eyes that always peered through her, the eyes that now roll into the back of his head for what she knows will be the last time.

A pool of time encloses her in frozen ice as the sword leaves his body. The fight that is trapped inside is set loose for but a moment. Rather than stiffen from shocked agony, she rushes towards her fallen kin. How she falls to her knees as one in complete surrender, how she screams, _wills_ for him to awaken, how she cradles his head as one would a helpless babe, as if all the comfort she possesses could possibly reach him even now, as the life leaves him. She can barely comprehend their arms trapping her like the gargantuan arachnid of fear preparing to devour its prey, dragging her thrashing self away to some horrible, life-draining fate away from the broken body of the one she would never stand to see harmed. Nothing penetrates the inescapable prison of her anguished cries, not after they pull her into the dark depths of the earth, not after they hurl her into the black cell ever awaiting, not even after her fists are raw from pounding on the impervious door for so long that she no longer has any feeling in them. Nothing dulls the throbbing torment of life, threatening to cause her insides to combust. It is not until she is drowning in her tears that she realizes the magnate has slaughtered them both.

 **A/N:**

 **I have just one thing to say. Don't kill me, please.**

 **And, if you have anything to say that doesn't involve killing me, reviews with full thoughts are much appreciated.**

 **No weekly question this week.**

 **~Ardhoniel**

 **#God'sNotDead**


	6. Second Chances

**Silent Dreams, Prologue Part V: Second Chances**

 **Shout-outs to skylor chan and JBomb217 for reviewing! And a new follower! Thank you all so much! You really do make my day!**

 **Reply to guest review:**

 **JBomb217: As a writer, I enjoy hearing that you nearly cried, but also as a fellow human being, my heart goes out to you as well as to Faith, but then I have to remind myself that she's a make-believe character. At least Marcis died for what he believed in, and I believe that he became Faith's role model and reason to live.**

 **THIS IS IMPORTANT, so if you don't read any of the rest of this A/N (I won't be offended if you don't), I suggest JUST READ THIS. So, when I was watching the episodes back in August, I couldn't help but notice that Slab the earth dragon seemed to have what kind of looked like a red cataract over his right eye, and I thought, I wonder if he is blind in that eye. It's hard to see, but I believe it's there. And turns out, this theory of mine seemed to prove itself even further when my sister and I bought the Dragon Pit set (which is awesome, btw, I highly recommend it), and when I built Slab, he not only seemed to be blind in that eye, it showed a much more detailed scar that split his eye right in half that we never saw in the show. You'll see why my talking about this is important later in this chapter.**

 **My PM option on my account has not been working very well, so if I don't reply to reviews immediately, just know that it's because the option is slow right now. But don't worry, I read all of them and appreciate them greatly!**

 **I am genuinely sorry for making anyone suffer after the last chapter. That ending was unfair, but necessary. And this is why I write angst best. Enough talking! Into the chapter we go!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ninjago.**

Her eyelids are heavy as war-hammers. She opens them with immense effort, draining her of any energy that might have been stored up in those already shallow dregs of strength within her. There was a time when she could hunt and run for days on end, never even stopping to fill her hollow stomach or lay down her aching body. What has become of her now? Rotting alone in this frigid, shadowed, clammy dungeon.

She doesn't question her current status, lower than the dirt itself. She does not flinch as the filthy rodents curl up beside her in hope of warmth. This is what she deserves, what she is.

Time no longer has any meaning for her down here. She can't remember last when she ate, slept, anything. There is nothing she wants to live for anymore. She cannot pretend in reality anymore. She stopped being a child an eternity ago.

No matter how much time is wasted in her aching advances to blot out the events last she can remember before this prison, she cannot erase the memories from her mind. His darkened, lifeless eyes peer inside her. A planet-less solar system in those orbs. She's swimming in that blackness.

A memory floods over her so suddenly she doesn't have time to anticipate it.

 **SILENTDREAMS**

 _"Mama," she whispered as she pushed the door open to the second floor of their home, her small eyes probing the darkness fearfully. What if they came to get her before she even reached Mama? She shivered, telling herself not to cry, to calm down, because they weren't in the house yet. If she was not heard, she would not be caught._

 _"Mama?" she called out again, ever so softly, the panic leaking into her voice. It was too quiet. She couldn't hear any breathing but her own. Where was Mama? If she couldn't find Mama, she might get taken away, and it would be too late._

 _She should have never come up. It would be easier to trap her up here. She backed out as quick as she dared, heading back towards the door..._

 _She ran into something large. She whirled around and struggled to free herself from its clutches. The scream was stuck in her throat from the sheer terror paralyzing her. The dreaded monsters had come to devour her. She tried to get away, but the person had grabbed her arm, and she couldn't get away, and it was so big and scary..._

 _"Faith?" She stopped struggling instantly at the sound of the voice. "What are you doing up here? It's very late." That voice was the only voice that made her feel loved and cared for, the voice that quelled her innermost fears, the voice she could run to._

 _She immediately wrapped her small arms around Mama's silhouette, finally letting the big tears roll down her cheeks, because they could not come get her while she was with Mama._

 _"Oh, Faith." Mama didn't have to hear anything. She just knew it all. "Bad dreams?"_

 _She could do nothing but nod her head as she cried into Mama's nightdress. The loving, caring, safe arms gently lifted her and carried her back downstairs. Slowly, to soothe her, to show her that there was nothing to be afraid of._

 _"It was terrible, Mama," she sniveled, having the will enough to speak again. "There were these people chasing me, and I didn't know why. I must have done something bad. They were all angry and holding swords, and they wouldn't stop, Mama. They wouldn't stop, they wouldn't stop... Did I do something bad, Mama?"_

 _Mama sighed, clicking her tongue thoughtfully as they reached her bed. "There are bad people all around us, Faith," she started slowly, gently lowering the young Hunter onto her mattress. "Sometimes they make us do bad things. And sometimes... we are too afraid to stop the bad people, and so, there will never be change." Mama seemed to get a sad look in her eye, and then it was gone, replaced by warm love._

 _"But sometimes standing up to the bad people is the right thing to do. And you never give in, no matter what they do." Mama looked her in the eyes directly, and she didn't look away, but shifted her position. "Can you promise me, Faith, that you will never give in?"_

 _She was so wrapped up in the moment, she quickly but obediently answered as Mama looked into her eyes. "Okay, Mama," she said, gripping the doll at her side tightly. Mama smiled and ruffled her thin hair. "How about I sing you a song? A song my mama sang to me."_

 _She nodded, and Mama began to sing._

 **SILENTDREAMS**

The song is still locked deep in her heart, as if entombed in the place where all the most precious memories are laid to rest. She can't help but repeat the song to herself, imagining her mother's sweet, melodic voice dancing across the notes expertly.

Rest, baby dragon

You have nothing to fear

Close your tired eyes

The sun is almost here

Dream of happiness

And the beauty of lore

For that is all you deserve

That is all we hope for

Sleep, baby, sleep

Never shed a tear

No matter where you go

I will always be near

The door opens. Death has arrived to drag her away from perhaps the only comfort she has known in many years. There is no struggle formed as they pull her up off the ground, not gently but not roughly either. She would walk to the doorstep herself if she was allowed to, but no, she still has to have someone still guiding her. Though they may treat her like one, she tells herself she is not a child anymore.

She is placed in a room encompassing her thin frame from all sides. She waits a minute, alone, and then feels slightly sick as the ground seems to shake. She raises her head. Why is the ceiling getting closer? No. It's not getting closer. She is rising.

Planks split above her, and suddenly she is thrust into the open air again. She squints her eyes, the glaring brightness too much for her darkness-laden eyes. It is a few minutes before she can see completely. The Pit. It is night now, but the arena is lit across the walls with torches of blue-white flames. A full moon shines directly above her.

And the people... They are bursting at the seams of the spectator rows, barely stopping to spill out to drown her. Their many voices combine in a savage polyphonic chorus of screams, on the edge of their seats for her suffering to begin. She has had dreams like this before, when she is so full of fear that she crumples to the ground. But now, when it is actually happening, she feels nothing.

How deluded they are, believing in that revolting thief of mercy. He won't give them what they want. All he does is find excuses to put them in this arena for his own twisted, egomaniacal entertainment.

She is not deluded, and now she is paying for it with her life. He has killed all she cares about, and now he drops her here to be finished off by some beast of battle.

Let it come. _It will end soon_ , she says to herself. She can only hope that her end is swift.

The grinding noise of chains grating against slabs of stone relentlessly punctures her eardrums. Her stomach sinks to her feet, though if it could, it would sink lower. What little resolve she has left in her cumbered mind is banished, and nothing is left but dread and the raw instinct to survive.

The dragon has seen her and now pursues her with a vengeance that will not easily be quenched. It has been starved for far too long. It wants meat.

While every fiber of her being is carried by adrenaline as she continues to flee the great creature, there is an ever so small voice whispering for her to take up a weapon and defend herself against this nightmare. She does not listen, because one: she was never thrusted a weapon to defend herself with in the first place, and two: one part of her still wishes to defy Iron Baron with the means by which it would hurt him most. He has called the Hunters here to watch her fight for her life and suffer. She is a dead man anyway. Better to die never once lifting her hand against the dragon and revolting even unto death rather than give him any bit of satisfaction watching her struggle to survive.

The dragon catches her off guard and rears his head sideways, slamming into her from the side and nearly running her through with his tusk. The pain surges even before she hits the ground. She is back up in an instant, though she tries not to keel over and clutch her right side in pain. She faces the dragon head on and waits for its next move.

The beast opens its mouth, and, instead of fire, rocks seem to rise from out of the ground and towards her from where its breath hits the ground. _Earth dragon_. Her one thought before she unceremoniously dives to the ground to avoid being covered in the caving dirt. The dragon is anticipating this, however, and it runs towards her. The ground shakes with each mighty step it takes. The quakes rattle her teeth, and she rolls out of the way before she is trampled. She rises, and the dragon rubs its broad foot into the sand before charging at her yet another time. And this time, she is unable to avoid the blow. The world is dark for a moment.

The lightheadedness and nausea she feels can only be from hitting her head against the stone wall on the edge of the arena. Did she really black out just now? Every breath she inhales is torture on her ribs, and she can't seem to discern the roaring blocking her ears. Is it from the dragon, or is it the applause and cheers of the audience she has forgotten about? Or is it the incessant ringing that won't go away no matter how many times she shakes her head?

And now, it is cold. She can't see anything. She breathes in, but no air comes. She can't move. An unseeing something is packed around her. It's sand. She feels the coarseness between her fingers. Instead of panicking, her body seems to relax into the cushioning sand. It is a strange solace, when her consciousness is slowly ebbing away. So this is how she ends. Buried alive by the dragon's breath.

And what is this she hears?

Mama.

But, Mama is dead. How...?

She is caught off guard when her vision flares in color, and the memories rush through her head, one at a time. They slip through her fingers. She can hear their familiar voices again.

 **SILENTDREAMS**

 _"Can you promise me, Faith, that you will never give in?" she reminisces Mama's melodic voice tell her. She could always run to Mama for comfort._

 **SILENTDREAMS**

 _"You can do anything." Karei. Always the kind big sister. Her hugs were legendary._

 **SILENTDREAMS**

 _"You are beautiful, Faith. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise," she hears Seph whisper when she was tucked into bed yet again by her sister. Seph was always there for her when everyone else wasn't._

 **SILENTDREAMS**

 _"Don't give up, Faith. I believe in you." Baba. He was never cruel to her. Strict, but never cruel. How much his encouragement would improve her skills now. How proud he would be of her._

 **SILENTDREAMS**

 _"It's a cruel world we've been brought into," Marcis' voice cuts in, and she almost chokes at the sudden memory of a mere few months ago. What she would give to have him by her side again._

 **SILENTDREAMS**

Why has this happened now? And then, the strangest of ideas fights it's way into her straying head.

Survive.

How is she supposed to do that? And yet... what is she doing? There is a stirring in her heart, one she has never known before. Any other person would have given up, but she refuses to be like any other. She must live, because _they_ never had the chance to live full lives themselves.

Her hand breaks through and fists the clear air above. Before she is fully aware of what is happening, she has pulled herself out of the grave the dragon has dug for her. Much to the amazement of the people in their seats, as they sit in near-permanently established stillness, she dusts her ragged clothing free of the earth. She does not even cough up any sand. Did she really not take in a single breath the entire time she was under?

She opens her eyes with newfound vigor, the pain for the moment quelled. She must live on, for them.

"Come on and finish this," she challenges the beast audibly. It must have heard her. It rises in the air and blows at her once again. The boulders rise out of the ground, but now she rolls out of the way with ease, the dust veiling her path. She closes her eyes. She doesn't need to see. She knows where it is from the vibrations of its growls.

Left... now straight ahead... it smells her and is nearing... She breathes slowly, listening to the shuffle of its deadly paws, the dance of the wind, the calls of the hungry... Ever waiting for its inevitable approach...

Her eyes snap open in an instant. The dragon's jaws nearly bit down on her, but she has slipped away in time. Still too close, though. A tooth had snagged a corner of her clothing, fraying a few threads of the already ragged fabric.

And then, her head is lit with an idea. A foolish idea. It would be attempted, though. She is in need of any hope.

The sand has cleared. Here she is again, staring down at the fight. She reaches for a boned spine woven into the front of her clothing and rips it away, turning the spike slowly in her palm until the sharp end is parallel to her wrist, caressing the smoothness of the bone. Fight the monster with its own weapon. A fool's hope ( **A/N can you guess the reference?** ), no doubt, but this is the first time she has had any opportunity to successfully fight back. She squares herself, preparing herself to face the already charging creature.

Those watching would speak for weeks to come of what happened next in that arena. The act that would stand in infamy. The moment when the Hunter was truly free of any fear of the hunted. What was this young girl doing? Standing to fight, choosing to not give in even when all hope had forsaken her cause? It was as if she had her own army, she appeared so confident. Yet she was alone!

And then, they watched vigorously as the spike plunged into the dragon's right eye.

She sighs in astonishment. She has a chance now, she realizes.

So she would continue in this air of tenacious confidence for endless hours, never speaking a word and so intimidating her showgoers further.

She couldn't win the fight, but she could prolong it.

Those who had come to watch her death left unsatisfied that day. One by one, they exited the arena until the seats were vacant. And yet, the dragon and the girl still battled. She saw and knew the dragon was weakened from its wound and the hours of chasing, and yet she remained inexhaustibly dominant in the fight. Whenever the creature charged or attacked or snapped with its earthen bite, she would evade its attempts to end her each time until she was leaping from boulder to boulder created by the huge monster. She was only alive by the adrenaline and her indestructible will.

It was late into the night when the stands were void of any audience, when Iron Baron finally gave in. She watched the guards at the door load a cannon with vengestone and bind the beast's legs and wings with chains, giving them enough time to once again seize her and carry her down to the dungeons again. The guards to her cell watched throughout the night as she continued to fight the air as if she were still in the arena. They whispered to each other of how long they were willing to wage until she would at last collapse from exhaustion. Much to their fear and amazement, it was many hours before she did so.

 **SILENTDREAMS**

She awakes abruptly, staring at her friend, the darkness. She only labors a few moments to recall her most recent remembrances. She doesn't need to wonder how long it has been since the battle, as the raw pangs of painful hunger ignite in her stomach and tell the time for her. She clutches her middle as she rolls into a ball, as if trying to ward off any more hurts that dare to overcome her. She did not defend herself so just for slow starvation to take her. No. She foresees that this will not be her end. As she remembers from before, she will not go down without a fight.

This is the same cell, the same rafters, the same door, but she is different. She has come from the pit of doom and death to the grounds where she will scrounge and gather to survive, but it is better to be living for something than for nothing at all.

She does not know how much time passes before he comes. The light coming from the opened cell forces her to shut her eyes. She is surprised by his stooping down to her level. He does not need her, and she certainly does not want or need him. He has probably simply come to finish her off. He killed them. He killed _him_. She owes him absolutely nothing.

She does not stand for him. He stands before her. "You have managed to prove your strength to me once again, young Faith. I am rather astonished by your stubbornness. You have somehow still found a way to defy my will, but a bit of resilience is what keeps us all from becoming foolish.

"I will not say I tolerated your rebellion. It is quite the opposite. Any and all forms of opposition must be snuffed out.

"You would be a true fool to not know by now what happens to those who rebel against my rule." It is in this moment that she could not hold it back any longer. All her anger and grief is let go. The tears run down her face, the salty streaks marring her worn cheeks. There is nothing stopping her from weeping bitterly, no one to comfort her in her time of need. She is always alone.

The hand that reaches to hold her chin is cold and... welcome? She wants to scream at herself for ever looking to him for confidence.

"My child, do not despair," he whispers. She shivers. When had he ever been so kind to her? "You still have another chance at a better life."

Her eyes darken. What can she say? Will she compromise her values for life? "There is always a catch, my lord," she rasps, her voice hoarse from disuse. She clears her throat before continuing. "Nothing is given freely."

"Perceptive, indeed," the Baron whispers, once again reading her through and through. It leaves her feeling hollow. "Accept, and you will leave the life of Faith behind you, instead embracing a new and truer identity. Or, you can reject the chance, and you _will_ be sure to rot in this cell for the remainder of time."

They told her to live. She cannot forget the promise she made to them. She _will_ live on, and she will live on _for them_.

 **SILENTDREAMS**

"You will be known as Heavy Metal from this point onwards."

How many times must those eleven words repeat in her head until she goes completely insane?

She was given a helmet to hide her face immediately after he set her free from the prison. Her identity as Heavy Metal overshadowed her true self, trapping it in an iron cage, locking it away until she could almost accept the now-become-legend of the girl named Faith.

Almost.

How do you forget yourself?

That is why she is out here now. Why she has been out here every night since. In the chilling desert wind, letting the harsh elements beat her to the bone. There is something freeing to her about pushing her worn body to its breaking points, one after the other. Why, she can only imagine.

A mask can go inwards as well. Not just to conceal a withering, ugly face victim to agony, but also to harbor her pain and longing for a better life. He has taken herself away from her and replaced it with a metal carcass.

He gave her the sword, and now she runs through the stances and offensive strokes in her head, echoing them with her agile body over and over as if her worthless life depended on it. Maybe it does. How much more can she take? When will she finally break and rest, returning to the dust?

She does what she must to survive. Any hope she has kept for herself before she has now forgotten. Replaced by reality. She practices to forget. It's too painful to remember anything anymore.

She must accept this. She has to. This is her now.

And yet, this is the farthest from herself she could ever be.

 **A/N:**

 **And so this concludes the prologue for Silent Dreams. Faith has become Heavy Metal. The rest of this story will just be a recap of each Hunted episode beginning in Iron and Stone all the way to Lessons for a Master and Faith's thoughts during each episode. I hope this continues to be interesting enough for you all. I can't wait to see you guys again for the next update.**

 **Weekly question: IF YOU COULD MEET ANY ONE OF THE NINJA, WHO WOULD IT BE, AND WHAT WOULD BE ONE QUESTION YOU WOULD RANDOMLY ASK THAT NINJA?**

 **Ardhoniel out!**

 **#God'sNotDead**


	7. From Distant Lands

**Silent Dreams: Iron and Stone**

 **Ok, before you go to the review button and complain about how I am late on my update, please let me explain!**

 **Thank you.**

 **So I had an essay to complete, and my mom up and told me that I wasn't allowed to update until I had finished writing that essay. Talk about stress! Fortunately, it didn't take me a whole lot of time to finish it, so I'm not too late? After this, I still plan to update on Tuesday mornings, so don't panic. So I'm assuming lesson learned, then: kids, obey your parents, even when you don't want to. Ok, now you can shout at me all you want.**

 **Shout-outs to skylor chan, JBomb217, and Watcher321 for reviewing! You guys are too nice to me. (:**

 **Reply to guest review:**

 **JBomb217: Yes, I believe the last bit of that last chapter was rather rushed, but that because I was feeling rushed to finish it. I have finally caught up with my chapters, which means I am unfortunately probably going to end up rushed each week to finish each chapter. I'll try my best to work hard on them, but with balancing other things in real life, it might end up difficult for me.**

 **And how does Jay survive that hang glider disaster? I will never know, but he's not the kind of person to die from that kind of thing.**

 **My answer to last week's question: I would ask Cole "why have you not found a girlfriend yet?" XD My sister's answer is for Jay, "can you ask Nya to marry you?"**

 **This was a very difficult chapter to write because of Faith's mostly absence in this episode. I mean that she didn't do much in this episode. So this chapter is short and pretty boring, but please forgive me for that. I tried really hard, but this isn't nearly as good as the past chapters. Plus, I finished most of it the hour before I uploaded, so please forgive me again for the poor quality.**

 **So, I am not sure how many years have passed from the last chapter to this. I would say at least a decade, seeing as Faith was around 15 or 16 in the last chapter. I, somehow, received the impression in the show that Faith seemed to be in her possible 30's. Maybe she's younger, she just acts super mature, but I would say she's at least in her late 20's. Did you guys ever wonder about Faith's age in Hunted?**

 **Again, if I haven't gotten to replying to your reviews, I am behind, so please forgive me if that is the case. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Disclaimer yet again: I don't own any of Ninjago.**

16 years later...

 **A/N (I didn't know how to start this off, so I just jumped right into the beginning of the episode.)**

Three strangers. One with a young, spotted face and a mop of curly brown hair littered with dust, wearing a bright blue suit.

The one in the center: looks older, his brown-red hair a greasy mess, his left shirtsleeve torn away, sporting a scarred and well-toned figure of a warrior. Both have an absurd, yellow-pink skin pigment.

And the strangest on the left: a shiny copy of a man, his joints hinged by gears that have been slightly rusted from the rugged exposure.

Their presence is unwanted, uncalled for, unwelcome. What are they doing here, on their side of the realm? What are they planning? A million questions scream in her mind. She needs them answered. What if they have planned to kill them all?

What is wrong with her? Is she scared of a few boys?! They can't do anything to her. Can they?

If they attack, she will show them that she will not be taken down so quickly. The minute anything tells her something's not right, she'll kill them so much as look at them. Her hand already rests on the handle of the Dragon-blade **(A/N I think I forgot to mention last chapter that Iron Baron also gave her the sword)** , ready for any sudden movement made by the trio.

 _Can Oni be killed?_ the distant voice in her head wonders. That cursed curiosity, always finding ways to interfere with her routines. It's going to get her into trouble one day. Still, it is a question worth answering.

But not now.

The hunting team that she had led to the southern sea had seen the light of the torches through the immense fog and had soon captured the three. Now, they were on their knees in front of the Baron. _He'll know what to do_ , she tells herself. _He won't hesitate to kill. He's done it before_.

She focuses on the Baron as he descends from his four-headed dragon-bone dais in the dim light. There is no sound other than his metal leg striking the ground with every other step he takes.

The Baron reaches out with his horned staff and taps it on the metal man's head. The metal man absently rubs his head with his chained hands, his light blue eyes glowing ominously in the dark throne room.

"They don't look as I imagined." The Baron's henchmen laugh in response to his comment, though none would find those words amusing. She does not laugh, but she cannot disagree. _Who_ _could_ imagine such horrible creatures beyond reckon?

Her leader turns to his Hunters. "Where did you find them?"

She pushes her way to the front. "To the south," she replies, her voice shrouded in a deep, metallic ringing. "They were building a fortification." There wasn't much of another word for it. They had hooked the odd structure to the back of the Dieselnaut and had towed it with them back to the Dead's End for deconstruction. Technology is a rare and necessary thing to obtain in this realm.

The blue boy turns on his side to face her, his voice piercing the silence. "That's pretty generous. More like a rickety shack, but… after losing everything, who am I to complain?"

She roughly thrusts him back to his position, annoyed at his sudden words. He's the one being held prisoner, and here he is, speaking as if everything was right in the world. "Did I say you could speak?" she reprimands. He gives her one more intimidated look before the Baron reaches her side.

The blue one seems uneasy as Iron Baron stares at them. He looks away. She is not surprised. Ha, few people can manage his yellow gaze.

Daddy No Legs appears between her and Iron Baron, towering above the both of them. "We took them by surprise. There may be more."

The deafening silence resounds for one moment too long. She is uneasy. This is too easy. Oni would have reacted more fiercely, or maybe they would have been harder to capture. Or so she would think. Any way, the strangers aren't responding in any way to Daddy No Legs' suggestion.

"Is this true?" the Baron questions, his eye never leaving the prisoners. "Are there more of your kind?"

"Our kind?" the red one repeats, slowly as if processing each word of its singular meaning.

"No," the shiny one cuts in, his voice oddly bearing the same sound as hers. "We are alone."

She sees the daredevil Jet Jack step out in front. The woman is holding a canvas bag. "Then tell us, who do these diapers belong to?" she says more than asks as she reaches into the bag and pulls out what could only be an infant's undergarments. These Oni have children?

"Those are Jay's," the red one interjects, a casual side smile on his face. What? An absurd claim. He turns to his companion, waiting for support of his claim.

"Oh. I have a weak bladder," the blue one dismisses easy as if he were speaking about what he was doing the day before.

What is this she hears coming from her mouth? Laughter. It's as foreign as they are. She stops the sound from coming out any further, raising a fist to silence the rest of her Hunters. It is weakness to show emotion in their society.

"See how they lie? See their treachery?" Iron Baron addresses the other Hunters. "They cannot help it. It's in their nature.

"But there is one whom you cannot deceive." She raises her chin halfway. She knows how this will end. How could she not?

The red one begins to say something, but he is overpowered. "Throw the Oni into the Pit!" Confirmed. The three prisoners are pulled to their feet. The Hunters around her begin to yell a familiar name.

"Oni? You're making a mistake!" the red one protests.

"We are not Oni!" _No matter what you say, you will still get what you deserve._

"Slab knows! Slab knows! Slab knows!" She revels in their chant. Oh, they are not wrong. They are never wrong.

The shiny one looks back on the Hunters behind him, and his eyes reach hers for one moment. She doesn't want to see the concern and panic in them. But, then, he looks like he's caught onto something. Does he know? She looks away quickly to hide anything. Hopefully it was too quick for the stranger to notice.

 **SILENTDREAMS**

It is a mere hour later when the duo reaches the center of the Dead's End. The Baron turns to her to escort him to his private stand in the Pit. It has been specially built directly above the dragon's holding cell so that he can get the best view.

The cheering is almost too much for her ears. Louder than Firstbourne's thundering roars, she fights the urge to cover her ears. She is not a child.

"This should be interesting," the Baron says, almost to himself. Almost. It must have been directed at her. She's the only other on the podium. Interesting. Was it interesting when he executed her family, when he killed Marcis? Was it interesting when he watched her fight for her life all those years ago?

She only veils her seething, hateful grimace behind the mask. Just as she always has. Though she is second-in-command of the discipliner of desperates, he knows who she is. She is powerless to do anything else.

She chooses to center her attention on the now-opening wooden circle in the center of the Pit instead. The three strangers are raised up, the bright sun nearly washing out the two forms and reflecting off of the third, all of them now unchained and fully erect. The Baron's eccentric drudge, Chew Toy, stands in front of them, clutching his bell close to him.

Even from afar, she sees the wariness of the intruders in their faces. The blue one is different, with a look of what appears to be enjoyment reflected by his bright eyes and toothy grin. The boy has to be deluded, perhaps a third wheel. Painfully, he has no idea what is about to happen. _And_ , painfully, their faces remind her of herself once. Helpless and panicking. Staring at their deaths. She will not say she pities them, but she _does_ understand their situation.

"I've spent my whole life wanting to see the true face of an Oni. And now, I get to see three! I hope Slab can wipe the smirks off those dirty shape-shifters."

She broils in his infuriating voice, but she can't say she could agree more. These strangers, these _Oni_ , _must_ be revealed.

She looks down and sees Chew Toy almost floating over the grounds of the arena, gleefully responding to the Hunters' calls for his entertainment. He always loves the attention, but she would blame his eagerness on getting knocked around by Slab, hitting his head one too many times. He really is only there to aggravate the dragon, an ignorant child with his toy bell.

Her gaze moves from Chew Toy to the three strangers. The Hunter seems to have finished instructing the strangers. Her head tilts in confusion and leans inwards for a closer look. Even as they turn to face the metal gate, she sees that they stick together. Well, the blue one is wandering, but only so far. How could Oni be so attached to one another?

There is a low groan beneath her feet. The ground shakes. Even she sees now that Slab's rage is unequaled today. The stories said that the dragons were mortal enemies with the Oni. These strangers have to be Oni. There is no way around it.

"Open the gates!" The event is strangely exhilarating. The Baron won't let his audience wait any longer. "Reveal the Oni!" The sooner they show themselves, the better for everyone.

She turns and nods her head at the slave commanding the opening lever. He pulls at it in reply.

The crowd's yells acclimate ever louder than ever as the dragon emerges. And, the prisoners do nothing.

Their nerve is solid steel. To stand in front of Slab is asking for a quick death.

Chew Toy is, of course, the first to step forward. The dragon, turning its head to the sound of the dull bell, knows the routine and plays around with him before throwing the Hunter into the crowd.

The dragon moves its head towards the brightly-colored figures, and she sees that Chew Toy had lost his bell in the chaos of getting tossed around, and the blue one is now holding it, the largest smile she's ever seen on his face.

This is ridiculous. She guessed he was a little odd in the head, but this is pure madness. That one is asking for a quick death now. She is surprised when the boy seems to jump out of the dragon's jaws and to the ground again, still whole, and... dancing. To her surprise, the Hunters in the seats cheer.

Slab has chosen to center his attention on the other Oni instead now. Boulders rise out of the ground and towards them, and a vision of her being trapped beneath the sand subdues her, but only for a moment. She opens her eyes again, not even knowing she had closed them, and she sees that the red one and metal one have both avoided being impaled by the jagged rocks.

"See?" Iron Baron monologues. "Slab knows. Slab can smell Oni blood." He raises his voice so that all can hear him. "Change for us, Oni! Show us your ugly faces!" She is disgusted. He is eagerly waiting for their reveal. But she does wonder why the strange beings haven't shifted yet. They would have been stirred by the battle as well and would have used their powers by now. She again feels nervous. They are running from the earth beast. Are they waiting until the right moment to unleash their might?

Now something is happening. The red one has gotten separated from the other two, and the dragon is slowly catching up to him.

And then, she watches as the red one, who had just been backed against the wall, falls to the ground. Was it a trick of the eye? Exhaustion? The heat?

No, this one is being smart. She is still rather amused, however. The dragon now thinks of him as nothing more than a rock. Disguising himself as dead prey. Peculiar indeed.

The sound of the bell averts her attention. It's coming from the creature's left. The blue one distracts the beast while the other two wrap and knock down the dragon with a length of chain that must have come loose from the roof.

"Where did they get that chain?"

No matter now. But she still has no idea what she is seeing. The dragon belches dirt, preparing to bury the blue one, who is not watching. He will be killed!

The shiny Oni pushes the third wheel away from the dragon's jaws.

The breath is knocked out of her. Ice has been driven from the metal man's fingers to the dragon, locking its head in place.

"Oni don't have elemental powers. They know the ways of the Spinjitzu Master." Her heart nearly stops at the name. The memories of the stories flood back to her, and her heart aches. She has not heard their leader utter that name ever. The Baron turns to her, his eyes dictating her actions. "Hunt them down."

A simple command that can so easily be carried out. She swallows her thoughts and mechanically steps down from the pedestal, letting herself dangle over the Pit with one arm. "Hunt them down!" She repeats the order loudly.

The assembly of goers seem to quake at her disguised voice. Without hesitation, at least a dozen Hunters jump out from the stands, brandishing their weapons.

Fire!

Fire? The red one has a flickering flame surrounding his clenched fist. The white one has responded and is also raising his hand. His metal hand has frozen over, icy tendrils navigating all the way to his elbow, his fingers releasing a cold mist.

She cannot help but scoff at the blue one, who is still as useless as ever, ringing the bell like a juvenile. Even as her fellow Hunters surround the outsiders with their flails and weapons, she has a feeling in her gut that something is stirring. And, she is afraid.

 **A/N**

 **This chapter was rather rushed, short, and boring, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. I am trying very hard to figure out how I can make my chapters better in any way. If you have any suggestions, I'm 100% open.**

 **So, when I was sort of editing this chapter, I all of a sudden listened to the song "Sick of It" by Skillet, and I thought that that song was a great song for Faith. It kind of personifies the resistance she leads against Iron Baron in Hunted. We'll get to that chapter one day. If you are a music nerd like me, you should definitely check out the song.**

 **Weekly question: WHICH ELEMENTAL POWER WOULD YOU WANT AND WHY?**

 **Until next hopefully better update,**

 **~Ardhoniel**

 **#God'sNotDead**


	8. AN 1

**A Respite**

 **Hello, my favorite readers!**

 **This is not a regular update, sadly. This is just an update as to the update dates, if you follow me.**

 **So, starting from this week until about two weeks from now, I plan to take a break from updating Silent Dreams. The reason for this is that I will be going on a personal vacation with my beloved family, and I want to focus on them.**

 **Now please do not panic. I still intend fully to finish this story on a regular schedule. I will see during the next few weeks if I feel like updating before then. The next update will most likely be on Tuesday, February the 19th, though if I am just too pumped, it might be sooner. Hopefully I can spend some time during this break to work on future chapters.**

 **I hope you all understand, and just know that you are loved! Ardhoniel out!**

 **#God'sNotDead**


	9. Harness Your Fears

**Silent Dreams: Radio Free Ninjago- Harness Your Fears**

 **Hey, fellow Ninjago-lovers! I'm back! Did you miss me?:) 3 Jk, I missed you, though.**

 **Shout-outs to skylor chan, Watcher321, and JBomb217 for reviewing! Thank you so much!**

 **Reply to guest review:**

 **JBomb217:**

 **Writing from Faith's POV is very interesting indeed, and I'm enjoying it, even if it can be stressful sometimes. Yeah, Jay was off in that episode. It was hilarious but annoying at the same time. I can imagine Faith would probably assume that Jay was always like that, which is what's funny. Thank you for reviewing!**

 **Again, apologies if I haven't replied to your reviews. I do read them all. I'm going to be extremely busy for the next two weeks, but I'm still updating. I'm so glad to be back! I've missed you all:)! I already said that, though.**

 **Answer to last update's question: I would want either Shadow or Smoke, because you can dodge hits and hide. It just hit me that the smoke element to me seems a bit like Ghost's powers in the Ant-Man and the Wasp movie, if you've seen that. My sister: amber, just because she could use all the elements with it.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of Ninjago.**

 _ **Previously on Silent Dreams...**_

 _"Hunt them down."_

 _..._

" _Hunt them down!" She repeats the order loudly._

 _..._

 _Fire? The red one has a flickering flame surrounding his clenched fist. The white one has responded and is also raising his hand. His metal hand has frozen over, icy tendrils navigating all the way to his elbow, his fingers releasing a cold mist._

 _..._

 _Even as her fellow Hunters surround the outsiders with their flails and weapons, she has a feeling in her gut that something is stirring. And, she is afraid._

She can't think right now. _It's best not to react,_ she tells herself. Easier to give herself over to emotionless rigidity than to live.

"They are masters of elements!" the Baron calls out to his followers. Even in this shocking situation, he can still remain in full control. "A week's rations for the hunter who brings them to me in chains!"

A Hunter in the vicinity knocks the bell out of the blue boy's hands. He backs up to the two other strangers as a young Stalker **(A/N: a jackal-like creature in the First Realm, yes I came up with these, a bit AU I guess, but that's ok)** gathers beneath its mother for protection.

The three seem to be communicating to each other. Once again, they seem so dependent on each other. She fights the desire to laugh. She doesn't know what world they come from, but it definitely is not like hers.

Even from this distance, she can see the red one raise his hand to throw a ring of fire into the nearest enemies. He manages to knock down several Hunters with the blast, eliminating a closer threat. The metal man slides his leg against the ground, and ice travels through the sand and encases itself around an unfortunate victim. Bright blue electricity shoots through the third's fingers, landing a knock to an opponent. So the boy holds lightning.

A Hunter manages to grapple the red one for a moment, but the near-fruitful attempt is thwarted by the sharp shards of the metal man's ice. Lightning-boy kicks his heels into the frozen crystals, freeing his friend. She sucks in her breath as the three retreat back into their triangular defensive positions. Infuriating outsiders.

The blue one seems to be as insane and lively as Chew Toy. He almost seems to be one with his element. Fast, flickery, concentrated. His eyes are always darting, watching the approaching Hunters. The master in white is calmer and reflective, choosing to save energy and hone in on one subject each time. The red head's attacks are reckless, but he still carries himself confidently.

Their efforts are always manageable, however, in the end. They will be.

The Hunters stamp the ground with their feet and their spear shafts, creating a pulsing drum rhythm. "Heavy Metal! Heavy Metal!" Their yells fuel the air with anticipation.

It is like she is not controlling herself. She's not even surprised that they want her. The Baron turns to her and nods once. His voice echoes in her head.

 _Take care of this._

She nods back and stands straight. With a single breath, she launches herself off the platform, and the ground comes to meet her at the bottom. She catches herself, letting the ground absorb most of the impact. She stares at the ground for a moment to banish all fear from her mind. Then, her head tilts upwards to meet the eyes of the outsiders.

"I think the crowd likes him," the blue one quips after a moment.

She senses their uneasiness. Good. Let them fear her. If the enemy is afraid, half of the battle is already overcome.

Her fingers reach for the handle of her sword, expertly unsheathing the weapon. The blade faces her three opponents, a large tooth bared and glistening, hungry for foes.

The red one focuses on creating a ball of flames before sending it towards her. A light twirl of the blade, and the heat that came close to scalding her cheek is now cooled, absorbed by the sword.

A bolt of power-driven electricity comes next. The metallic ringing of lightning against bone latches onto her so firmly it jars her teeth. She can almost feel the energy traveling into the sword and through her arm. Next, a thick swell of permafrost comes at her. She swings the blade around herself, causing the ice to snake around and into the sword.

The strangers are left with dumbfounded looks on their aberrant faces.

The pride swells in her chest. They are stronger together. But if she can pick them off alone, like her Hunters did in the fog, they will break. She lets the sword drop into the ground as she begins to advance to intimidate them. Panicking, the masters focus their powers on her, but she doesn't even flinch. The elements pass by her, combining into a bright white rush of force as they are sucked into the bone blade. She has been successful in her ploy.

"The sword, it attracts our power," she hears the ice master say. Before she blinks, they whip into action.

Spinjitzu. It must be. In the stories, the First Spinjitzu Master was said to have conceived an art of creation so powerful that it appeared as a wonderful tornado crowding and protecting its creator. And these followers of the First Spinjitzu Master had their own smaller, yet still impenetrable Spinjitzu tornadoes, their powers accentuating each.

These strangers would dare perform this preposterous skill in front of her.

She grabs and throws the flails, trapping them in webs of concealment. She can't help but feel like she is harnessing more than the unwelcome men. She is capturing her memories... no, her fears, rather than these outsiders. She shuts off her thoughts, holding the leashes as a great victory. The crowd cheers. She can hear nothing else.

 **SILENTDREAMS**

It became time for another hunt. She never questions the Baron, how paranoid he looks when a hunt is on. That vengeful, insane look. She always hopes he will never do anything he regrets when traveling. His decisions get too many Hunters killed.

But she always goes with him. Bodyguard, personal assistant, second-in-command, she has many names. And he still tags her and never lets her out of his sight. On a leash from dusk to dawn. The dreadful being does everything he can to control her.

He insisted on taking the prisoners with them. Elemental masters were entirely more than rare, unheard of, even. And dragons would easily be attracted to other dragons. If they would be able to use the strangers' powers to their benefit, it would be much easier to trap a dragon.

It didn't take the lower-ranking Hunters long to stoke a fire. The three strangers were tied to a pole with an element-extracting device. Now the Hunters sit in a circle, her with them. Some gaze into the flames, others casually tell stories of their recent adventures to pass the time. She had found a rock earlier and has taken to sharpening her blade. Each caress of the rock against the bone is a soothing noise, an audible _shink_ to her ears. The sound relaxes her. If her blade is sharp, she is safe.

She looks up when Iron Baron comes towards them. "I'm excited to see what tonight's catch brings." The first time they have had elemental masters. She is oddly exhilarated. Her eyes return to the carved bone blade in her palm.

"Why don't ye join us, Dangerbuff?" Chew Toy calls from the other side of the fire. He is gesturing towards the two Hunters that stand to the side, almost skulking in the shadows.

She has never seen these two before. Where have they come from? New recruits, perhaps. But Iron Baron put her in charge of recruiting the ambitious young ones.

And this man must be a fool, taking his child with him. The boy has no place here among the Hunters.

That voice, though. _Let them stay_ , it says. Oh well. She is not entirely without a heart. She'll dismiss it, for now.

"That's some blade you have there." Her head tilts towards the man. Though she hardly speaks, her ears are acquainted to harkening to every situation about her. She is always listening.

Does he even know who he is addressing so informally? She is not a lowly cohort that he talk to her in such a conversational tone. "Crazy how it repelled those powers."

"Oh, yeah. Carved from dragon bone. From a piece of the Firstbourne," Chew Toy answers for her. Everyone knows she hardly speaks to anyone other than the Baron. And he would be the first to speak up anyway.

"Firstbourne?" Not only is this Hunter a fool for bringing his offspring on a hunt, but the runt doesn't even know of Firstbourne?

"The Firstbourne is the mother of all dragons, the most powerful in the realm," Jet Jack begins, her voice low. Speaking of the fearsome beast would easily cause paranoia from their leader. "No one's ever seen it entirely, but it is said to possess every element of her beloved spawn. The one prize that's always alluded Iron Baron." The winged woman turns away with confidence, perhaps waiting to see if anyone else is listening.

"Tell 'em, Jet Jack," Arkade spurs. All the other Hunters have taken to listening into the story. They are all hungry for truth, it appears.

"She took Baron's leg… then his arm… then his pride." Each phrase is spoken slowly to encourage expectation.

She scoffs inwardly. "Pride". His pride was taken when a woman saved him.

"But someone here got a piece of her, didn't you, Heavy Metal?" She thrusts the Dragon Blade into the sand below in response. It is only here she looks straight at the newcomers, and... it could just be a trick of the firelight, but the two don't look entirely... correct. Their skin seems to glow.

"Iron Baron's been searching for her nest all his life, says she protects there the Dragon Armor."

"Dragon Armor?" the boy again questions. Where _has_ this young one been?

"Worn by the First 'Pinjitzu Master. Whoever controls the armor controls Firstbourne, and he who controls Firstbourne can protect us from the Oni," Chew Toy dribbles on.

The Hunters cheer in agreement. Some even spit into the fire. "When the Oni see me riding on the mother of all dragons, that would be the day," the reputable Daddy No Legs calls out into the sky. Many murmur in recognition. Would it be any other Hunter's wish to fly with Firstbourne, she wonders. "It's gonna be me, you know."

"The Oni? What do they look like?" There is a silence. A good question.

Apparently for a different time. A voice on the wind roars above Jet Jack's own.

"Dragon!" Daddy No Legs exclaims, pointing to the sky. She stands, the blade clutched in her hand.

"Where is it?" Iron Baron says, who has stood by the prisoner post. A chill of a gust pushes towards the group, and the clouds to the north part. "There!"

The creature is almost floating on the air. Its white and green scales shimmer with starlight. "A wind dragon!" Iron Baron exclaims, his red eyes studying the approaching beast. "Good sized one, too." He turns to them. "Lay low! Let her come!" She takes a moment to secure herself behind a rock formation, her feet planted into the rough sand to keep herself from being thrown. The wind nearly knocks her off her feet, and she leans forward to steady her balance. "Now!" At his word, the chain guns fire.

Well, all but one of the chain guns. The one the "Dangerbuff" is piloting has backfired and knocked down the tower, leaving the elemental prisoners in a heap on the field. Daddy No Legs will have a word with her when this is over about controlling his guards better. They have something bigger and much more dangerous on their hands at the moment.

"She's making a run for it! Follow her!" the Baron orders, his eyes never leaving the winged creature. He climbs onto the helicopter.

One look at Daddy No Legs is granted, and he instantly obeys her command. He grabs the brightly-clothed strangers and loads them back into the Dieselnaut again. The two new additions climb onto the vehicle just after her, just before it has picked up enough speed to chase after the dragon. Wind dragons are incredibly quick. They will use the backup fuel to get back to the Dead's End. That is, if Muzzle supplied the tank like the Baron told him to.

The vengestone chains are shot into the air, successfully trapping and resisting the young dragon. Its body instinctually fights back against the restraint, like an involuntary spasm against imprisonment.

"We're losing her!" she can hear the Baron yell. No. They will not lose a dragon while she is here to do something.

It is time to act once again. Time to be silent and decide. Without a hint of pulling herself away, she is already precariously playing with the chain beneath her feet.

She stops. The wind rushes at her cheeks, the gales whipping through her thin clothes. The adrenaline races. The clouds are in reach.

Suddenly, she sees herself atop a colossal crimson dragon, a radiant man at her side. She is flying through the veil of azure, free.

 _"...I will meet him when she takes me to him. I can see his armor, and we can ride through the skies together. Then, I can see everything below, and I will make sure we are all happy." She giggles, enamored by her own vision._

She sees the vision once again, the vision that she saw once as a child. What has come over her, that these thoughts have interrupted her routine, occupied every corner of her mind? She doesn't feel for these creatures. She never did.

Shaking her head to clear it of this infamous ideation, she takes the chain in her hands, roughly guiding the dragon to the surface. She does what she must to survive. She has been disallowed to do anything else.

 **SILENTDREAMS**

They shout her name again and again, a prolonged mantra of praise. She cannot ask if she deserves it. She is always silent.

Something gnaws at her being, a longing. A distant memory had breached out of the darkness of her mind, and she wasn't able to control herself. She is longing for something, but she does not know what.

This will never be the life she wants. Her world is cruel.

Is she even worthy of a good life?

What is she thinking about? None of the others around her have good lives. Why should she ask for something different than theirs? _It's not possible_ , she tells herself. _Not in this realm._ She can never be satisfied. An unachievable, silent dream is what it is, nothing more.

 **Weekly question: WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE SEASON OF NINJAGO AND WHY?**

 **Personally, this was one of my favorite episodes.**

 **Leave a review, even if it's a short one! It literally takes a minute! I would greatly appreciate it.**

 **#God'sNotDead**


	10. Shaken Allegiances

**Silent Dreams: How To Build A Dragon- Shaken Allegiances**

 **Shout-outs to skylor chan, Watcher321, and JBomb217 for reviewing! Thank you so much! I'm also welcoming another follower to the story, and that makes me so happy!**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **JBomb217:**

 **Pirates are awesome. Ant-Man was great. What's the app? Maybe I have it:). I know I have at least one. I'm so happy that you're happy about it! And I'm so happy that you were excited about the update.**

 **Answer to last week's question: my favorite Ninjago season is Rebooted, because Zane is of course my favorite ninja. Has anyone other than me noticed that the Rebooted action scenes seem more realistic than any other season? Maybe it's the whole Mission-Impossible-like explosions and fist fights. And, of course, The Titanium Ninja episode, no true fan can go through watching those last eight minutes without at least wanting to cry. But I also thoroughly enjoyed Sons of Garmadon, even though I objected to a lot of things in it (i.e. Harumi being the Quiet One, etc.) My sister's favorite is Skybound because of the romance, but she also likes Rebooted.**

 **So, quick math problem for y'all: a stressful, homework-loaded week + a full weekend = this chapter. It's probably very poorly written, but this is as good as I could do within the however small amount of time I had to write this week. I hope you still think this is good regardless.**

 **I am saying once right now, rated T for Iron Baron being a manipulative jerk like crazy...**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of Ninjago.**

 _ **Previously on Silent Dreams...**_

 _She can't help but feel like she is harnessing more than the unwelcome men. She is capturing her memories... no, her fears, rather than these outsiders. She shuts off her thoughts, holding the leashes as a great victory. The crowd cheers. She can hear nothing else._

 _..._

 _The first time they have had elemental masters. She is oddly exhilarated._

 _..._

" _She took Baron's leg… then his arm… then his pride." Each phrase is spoken slowly to encourage expectation._

 _She scoffs inwardly. "Pride". His pride was taken when a woman saved him._

...

 _No. They will not lose a dragon while she is here to do something._

 _It is time to act once again. Time to be silent and decide. Without a hint of pulling herself away, she is already precariously playing with the chain beneath her feet._

 _She stops. The wind rushes at her cheeks, the gales whipping through her thin clothes. The adrenaline races. The clouds are in reach._

 _Suddenly, she sees herself atop a colossal crimson dragon, a radiant man at her side. She is flying through the veil of azure, free._

 _..._

 _What has come over her, that these thoughts have interrupted her routine, occupied every corner of her mind? She doesn't feel for these creatures. She never did._

 _..._

 _Why should she ask for something different than theirs?_ It's not possible, _she tells herself. Not in this realm. She can never be satisfied. An unachievable, silent dream is what it is, nothing more._

They had reached the Dead's End by early morning. Her body sags in exhaustion. Well, nothing a restful day of preparing can't heal. The children are exuberant, gazing longingly at the bound dragon. The Baron had declared a feast after they had returned, and so the day would be used to prepare for the feast.

Was it right, to kill innocent dragons for simple sport, not just for nourishment?

What is wrong with her? She never questioned eating dragon meat as a child. Why should she think this now? She clears her head, focusing instead to oversee her Hunters. _No one out of place. No man left behind._ It's what Iron Baron would say whenever there was a troubling time ahead. The ruthless _hypocrite_! When did he ever stop to see Marcis in the dust? Did he ever pick him up and help him along his way?

The only thing she owes him is false gratitude for granting her brother freedom in death.

Now, they have begun everything.

Their leader begins an ear-breaking, inspiration speech of choosing to follow his commands. "Iron Baron provides for you, and all I ask in return is your undying loyalty. Obey my commands, and your belly will be full. Defy me-" he drawls, the torch sealing the wind dragon's fate in his hand. There is a sharp elbow in her side. She glares at the man, but when she sees that his eyes are gazing at the sky, she follows him and watches as a large shadow floats in front of the moon. "Dragon," they all breathe in astonishment. Few dragons would have the courage to ambush their settlements. The star-filled sky is lit further with fire. They have a little more of an idea about what they are facing now.

Good. Some of her Hunters have already grasped their spears.

Wait. Lightning comes from the beast. What else other than-

"It's the mother of all dragons!" the red one calls out. Wait, how would he know what Firstbourne even is? Something isn't sitting right with them.

"Oh, no! But why would Firstbourne come here?"

"Yes, she has come to protect her wind dragon."

The prisoners are acting strange indeed. They don't even appear fearful. Then again, they are only ignorant children.

Daddy No Legs attracts her attention now. "He's right. It is Firstbourne!" It can't be. She would recognize the dragon mother when she saw it. She doesn't recognize this one. This creature's wings are stiff and ragged, almost like they are false.

"Defend the fort!" She directs the Hunters to aim their harpoons at whatever that thing is. "Attack!"

All their weapons are fired, but none of them seem to make a mark on it.

"Show no fear!" Of course. It is just a dragon, after all. What could possibly be more frightening about Firstbourne than any other?

The Baron takes her weapon to shoot at the dragon, leaving her defenseless. She won't bother to take it back. Interfering with the Baron's means of revenge would be catastrophic.

In retaliation, the creature shoots a blast of ice at them. She dives out of the way in time; her following Hunters are not so lucky.

Is it almost like the dragon has been replaced? One second ago, it was barely flying. Now, its flight patterns are more familiar, in fact, unmistakable. And it leaves a path of destruction wherever it goes.

She nearly gets caught in a piece of material sticking out of the ground and nearly costing her life in her attempts to avoid being frozen solid. Why would this be here in the middle of the grounds?

She looks around when she is momentarily free of danger. There is debris all around her feet. A mechanism lies, wasted, broken, dangling precariously over the side of a hut. She cannot discern what it is, but possibly what it was. There is a recognizable skeletal structure as its base, with a carved metal skull as its head. Tattered fabric adorns two large attachments on its sides, lit on fire. Definitely a flying machine of a sort. It looks to be freshly landed... or crashed.

But, this makes no sense. She has never seen it before.

Wait. What does she see now? In the corner of her eye, she sees the prisoners- how have they been freed?- running through the chaos, trying not to get hit by Firstbourne's elemental attacks. The two "Dangerbuffs" are with them. The boy is covered in mud as if he has just sustained a fall, wearing a helmet a size too large for him.

The pieces work in her mind finally. Very clever indeed. They created the mechanism behind her back to trick them into believing they were being attacked by Firstbourne to allow them time enough to escape.

She pursues them. She cannot let them out of her sight again, especially now that she knows two of their own are really on their side.

Odd. The group is not running away. They are going towards the center of the Dead's End, where the wind dragon still lies bound to the firewood. Are they lost? She hides herself when the blue one turns to see if they are being followed. He doesn't see her.

Good. They are being stopped by Daddy No Legs and his battlement of Hunters. "I should have known you were a traitor," she catches him say.

"Not a traitor." The man tears off his mustache- how can a man pull off facial hair like that?- and stands by the outsiders. "A ninja!" he yells, standing straight and defiant, making clear for everyone what was already known by her.

"Attack!" Everything becomes a blur of kicks, punches, and clashing weapons as she reaches the skirmish. The noise is almost too much for her to handle.

Wait.

Something is missing here. But _what_?

A red outfit and a fiery tornado. The fire master is nowhere in her sight. Where has he gone?

"You brought it here!" The Baron's growls are unmistakable. "Don't let them escape! They're going to help us capture the beast."

But before she can carry out his order, the freed wind dragon opens its jaws and blows them all off their feet. She catches a minuscule glimpse of the red elemental holding a sword proudly. He set free the creature. He set them all free!

By the time she is back on her feet, they are gone, and Iron Baron is striding towards her. It was her job to secure the prisoners and the dragon. There is no possible way she will evade this.

"Prepare the Dieselnaut. We're going hunting." What? Where is the discipline, the merciless punishment? She can barely hear anything else he says before he addresses her.

"Heavy Metal..." She looks at him.

"I will see you at my throne room."

She glances quickly at the other Hunters around her. Each are giving a concerned look. There are no words to express how much she dreads what is to happen.

 **SILENTDREAMS**

 _Get it over with,_ she tells herself as she stops in front of the door. _You are not afraid_. She steps into the throne room, dropping to her knee. "You called me, my lord."

"Take the mask off, child. You don't need it with me." Her mind races in disgust at the thought of revealing her face, but she reaches for the straps on the back of her head and lowers the mask.

"So much better without." She feels as if she is a child again. The innocence is not there anymore. Why must she be subjugated under this scrutiny? **(A/N I can imagine Faith having a rugged but an innocent face at the same time)** "Tell me, Faith. What do you know of these elemental masters?"

Her eyes do not lift. She must be careful with her words. As always, of course...

"Only that they received their powers from the First Spinjitzu Master and-"

"The First Spinjitzu Master is only a story to us. Where did they get their powers from?"

She is silent as always, but not for concealment. She is, for once, truly ignorant of what to say.

"They are fueled only by their success. You have seen this. Their air is conceited, careless. They are strong inside. But only so far as they are together."

What is he getting at? This is not directed at them, is it?

"You know what will happen if you fail me again."

What could be worse than death? At this point, she would welcome it.

A cold swell overcomes her as he stands and limps towards her.

"I am the only thing standing between you and the loss of it all. Your very existence is predetermined by my will." He chuckles softly, the tang of cruelty turning her mouth dry. He begins to circle around her. She holds a breath in as his clammy fingers reach for her, lifting her chin, forcing her to look in his eye.

"Surely you couldn't possibly be foolish enough to think that there is nothing more I can do to you. The opposite is fact, my dear. If you do not recapture those untimely intruders, I will be sure that you will be thrust into a deep, pitiless, inescapable void, and the only way you could leave it would be to deposit what is left of your miserable form in the dirt and let it consume you. Forever detached from any form of sustenance." She squeezes her eyes shut, her fists clenching the sides of her cloak. Her lips turn up in a near grimace at his hot breath on her cheek as he leans closer. "Give yourself a smidgen of lenience and decide who your devotion rests upon, Faith." There is a pause. She is his most trusted Hunter. Why would he ever doubt her loyalty?

"This is not over. This is but the shimmering first light of the day that blinds you to all else," he whispers.

She breathes hard when he steps away. "I send you to find them alone. We will follow after you." He waves his hand, dismissing her. She rises and turns to leave the hall. But then, she stops, her fingers trailing the door-latch. Her curiosity takes a step forward.

"If I had killed him then, would you trust me now?"

There is no answer.

She opens the gate, putting on the harness mask as she leaves.

 **Weekly question: WHAT IS ANOTHER FANDOM OF YOURS THAT'S NOT NINJAGO?**

 **#God'sNotDead**


	11. Protection

**Silent Dreams: The Gilded Path- Protection**

 **I'm late on update schedule, I am fully aware. I'm very sorry. I had life and stress in the way. Let's move on, please. Thank you.**

 **Let's go! We passed the 28-review mark at 29 reviews, making this my most supported story on fanfiction ever! You guys are so nice to me!**

 **Shout-outs to skylor chan, JBomb217, and Watcher321 for reviewing! Thank you so much for helping me reach this goal!**

 **Reply to guest review:**

 **JBomb217:**

 **Yaasss! How To Train Your Dragon is the best! Sadly, I haven't found the time to go watch the third one. I haven't heard of Wings of Fire, but I'd love to check it out sometime. And while I don't like the Lego Ninjago movie a whole lot, I can still give it credit where it's due. It's very funny and creative like the rest of the Lego movies in the franchise. I'd also really like to find a way to connect with you through some other way other than fanfiction, if that's not too much for you. Does that app of yours have an account PM thing by any chance? Maybe I can create an account somehow. And, thank you for supporting me in the last couple of chapters. It's good to hear that my content is still engaging even though I've been beyond busy lately. Honestly, it doesn't look like it's gonna stop until the end of this month, so I've been very encouraged by your consistent messages. Thank you again for taking the time to leave reviews. They mean so much to me!**

 **My answer to last week's question: Wow, well, I have quite a few fandoms I like to follow up on, mostly Lord of the Rings (my absolute favorite fandom hands down, like I'm a fantastically huge Tolkien nerd, like if you want to try me for any kind of Middle Earth trivia, I could probably answer it correctly), Hunger Games, and for some reason, recently, I've gotten really interested in Marvel movies. I recently sort of got into Harry Potter, like what I mean is that I like the story and the characters, but I'm not a huge fan of the tone of the series and the magical craziness. I haven't even read the books and I've only watched the first two movies, and I don't really plan to.**

 **My sister likes Jurassic Park and somewhat Planet of the Apes, so she says, but she hasn't seen the latest one, so she's not sure.**

 **Again, this was a rushed chapter, which means I'm not too proud of it, but it's the best I can do with my crazy busy schedule lately. Thank you for giving such great reviews anyway!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of Ninjago.**

The sun is nearly risen. It took her only a couple of hours to find them. The idiots. They have just escaped from the Dead's End, and they are camping a few hours away? If they were reasonable, they would have traveled all night to get as far away as possible. This is going to be easier than she thought.

They do not see her as she slinks to the dune above them. There is nothing but a hill of sanded dirt between her and the escapees.

Ambush them while they are unaware. Take them all.

The outsiders seem to be talking to the boy. She is surprised to see that he is much older, much more an adolescent. What happened? How did he age so quickly overnight? Perhaps the strangers have some sort of odd aging quality.

"What is wrong, young Master Wu?" the metal man asks.

"I… I had a dream," the boy says, "I was fishing with my father."

"The First Spinjitzu Master?"

Did he just say what she thought she heard? The First Spinjitzu Master?

It can't be. He is just a legend to the rest of them. This boy couldn't possibly be his son. This could change everything.

If it were true.

She had given up on her delusions of the First Spinjitzu Master long ago. But now that she has heard his name being spoken by these strangers, it is as if a part of her mind has been reawakened and placed exactly where it should be, almost as if she had had a hole missing from before.

She has to know. That curiosity that was buried away so long ago with her old self has resurfaced. She can't help but crave knowledge.

At the end of the day, it has to come down to this. Will she refuse to play the pawn for the Baron and

Or will she forsake her only chance of hope, choosing rather to survive than to live? There must be a difference between surviving and living. There must be overarching notions like love and hope. Otherwise, all her parents believed in would have been for naught.

"His memories are coming back." She can't believe that her mind wandered through those thoughts in a matter of seconds.

"Do you remember anything else? Anything your father said?"

This is the time. Her decision needs to be made.

She launches a single crossbow bolt at the young intruder's foot. She doesn't hit him, just a shot to act upon so that they know she is here.

After a second to recover from the sudden attack, the outsiders huddle against each other, brandishing their stolen Hunter weapons. They all immediately push the younger master back behind them. Even now, they protect the helpless. She still remains baffled at their actions. "Show yourself," the earth master yells. He's the one who infiltrated their camp.

She obliges to his call out of her own will, looking them each down the nose of the harpoon grapple.

"There is no escape. You are my prisoners now," she says.

Quite character of them. She sees the fear in their eyes. She is vastly outnumbered, yet they still fear her. After what happened in the arena, they have every right. They know she can take them back to the Dead's End easily.

She forces herself to cease the advance to avoid any more hostility. She will wait and decide soon whether she will take them back, but not yet. She hoists the gun on her shoulder, the nozzle pointed to the sky to signal to them that she will not shoot. "Is it true?" her voice penetrates through the disguise she wears.

"Is what true?"

She eyes the boy. He gazes back at her warily. "What you said. He is the son of the First Spinjitzu Master. Is it true?"

"Don't tell him," the brown-haired red one whispers as he speaks to his team. "You remember what happened when they found out about our powers." He says it to them in a tone that is meant to be heard by just them. They wouldn't count on her trained ears catching their words, however.

"I can hear you," she says. She fires a warning shot at the earth master's foot. The bolt imbeds itself precisely in the dirt directly beneath his heel as she reloads the gun.

Before anyone can stop him, the light-haired adolescent has pushed through his team's protective circle, looking at her straight. "Yes. It's true," he consents sincerely. "I am the son of the First Spinjitzu Master. I am Wu."

She can see right through them. They are even more afraid now that the boy has confirmed his identity. He could be a valuable tool for the Baron.

She has to show them that she won't turn them in. But how will they trust her?

One idea finds her mind.

 _Why?_ she asks herself. She has never revealed herself to anyone ever since the Baron forced her to wear the mask. To take it off would be fatal to her.

Protect herself. She must do what must be done. She must take them back to the Dead's End.

But the boy revealed himself to her. He trusts her. She can see it. He stares at her, somehow with a trusting glance. He's an idiot, as he trusts a hostile stranger?

Balance the scales. He revealed something vital. Let her exchange favors.

She sets the gun down slowly and reaches for the straps at the back of her mask. She breathes the full air as she pulls it away. Their eyes widen in turn at her drastic change.

"Then, the legend is true," she speaks once in her natural feminine voice. It is so foreign to her. "You have come back to take the Dragon Armor."

"Woah," the blue boy exclaims, bringing himself closer to her as if testing his sight. Yes, this is her. "Not what I was expecting."

The fire master lowers his sword. He's certainly not the first one to lower arms. Too shocked, she supposes. "You're Heavy Metal?" he asks.

What can she say other than the truth? "That is my given Hunter name. My real name is Faith." The first time she has said her given name in over a decade. It is almost like a sacred word to her now.

"Faith. All you need is faith," she hears the young one mutter. His eyes convey that his thoughts are in another world. She doesn't know what he means, but the words soothe her mind.

But more could help her further. "Please. Tell me. Do you know where the Dragon Armor is?"

The boy steps in a direction and points somewhere over the horizon. "That way," he confirms.

A strange sensation tugs at her cheeks. She has not smiled since her time as a tiny child. It is surprising to notice that it is a welcome change. "Then we must go," she says. Not a moment later, she nearly prances towards her speeder and brings it back to them.

"Iron Baron has his hunters looking for you, and they never fail. The farther we get, the longer we'll live." She knows the years of experience in tracking and catching that they all have. It could come to hurt them.

"How are we all gonna fit on that thing?"

"We aren't. But it will hold our supplies. What it can't carry, we bury." After stomping out the fire, she fixes each of them with a bold glance. They freeze in their tracks. "Iron Baron cannot know I am helping you."

"Yeah, of course. Your secret's safe with us," the blue master chuckles nervously. "Now lower that giant rifle thingy." She shrugs carelessly before packing the grapple gun with their supplies. "So, we have Faith."

"I hope you know what you're doing." Wouldn't she know.

 **SILENTDREAMS**

Even with a speeder in tow, they are slower than she would have desired, but they _are_ getting somewhere rather than sitting at a campfire, _waiting_ to be found. It has been a few hours, which means the sun has set. ( **A/N I think that time passes differently in the First Realm, like they have shorter days or something, because Season 9 keeps on transitioning between day and night all the time** ) The four elemental masters volunteered to pull the speeder while the son of the First Spinjitzu Master sits inside. She walks beside him, occasionally answering queries he has about certain things. Much like a child who always needs a reason for everything, his questions she is happy to answer. It is good to have someone to talk to again, after all these years. Even though he is younger than her, she can't help but feel like she is speaking with Marcis again. "Why do you wear the mask?" he asks.

Although she would rather not speak of it, it would be the right thing to do given their circumstances. A woman concealing her true identity such as herself would look suspicious to her and certainly to him, so she will answer this.

"That was Iron Baron's idea. He didn't want the others to know his greatest Hunter was a woman. He forbade me to ever take it off."

"So the others don't know?" the boy asks, his forehead furrowed in thought.

"Iron Baron has a way to control us all. It's either his way, or you are cast out." Unless they find the Armor, then she could use it against him. Take back the pride she needs to carry her family's name. "But when you find the Armor, you can control Firstbourne. Then we can all leave this forsaken place."

"That's right. I almost forgot," the blue one at the front says. "Dragons are the only creatures who can ferry between realms." She doesn't know how they would know this, but she will let it go.

"If we can find the Dragon Armor, we can get home," the ice master concludes.

"What is this place you call home?" she asks.

"It's called Ninjago."

"Ninja-go?" she tries to pronounce. A rather strange name. But, they _are_ strange people.

"A place where nobody forces you to wear a mask."

"It's a beautiful place." Even from these few words, she already can imagine the color, the sights and sounds, exploding images of allure bursting with flavor in her head. "At least, it used to be. Before my brother soured it. Which is why we need to return."

Perhaps she should ask about the boy's brother. But not now. She watches him turn to her. "Can you tell me about my father? Some things I remember, some things I forget."

She remembers all the stories Seph would tell her. What could be enough for the son of the Master himself?

"Every child in the First Realm knows the tale of the First Spinjitzu Master," she tells him. Her mind is soon whisked away to centuries ago when the First Spinjitzu Master would have lived. She can't help it, even at her advanced age. "Because your father was both Oni and dragon, he found a bond with the dragon mother, and she with him. With her fire and his metal, they forged the Dragon Armor. Stories say he rode the magnificent beast, but not with chains. He would soar through the skies, only with the respect they had for one another. Together, they sought to put an end to the devastating war and unite the realm."

She sighs at the turn of the tide in the story. "But there were those who would never allow it."

"Why?"

"The Oni and dragon have always been mortal enemies, and there are some divides that cannot be bridged." From the beginning, the Oni have always been the horrifying manifestations of darkness and destruction. Any sort of union could have been tried, but it never would have done anything in the end. "Seeing there would never be peace, your father was devastated. He took off his armor and left the First Realm forever, in hopes of finding the peace he was looking for."

"That is something we are all still searching for." She has noticed that these ninja seem to bear a burden of responsibility. Are they the carriers of peace in their realm? Is that why they are always trying to avoid conflict and protecting each other?

"And the Firstbourne?"

She pulls herself back into the discussion. "She remained behind, faithfully guarding his armor, waiting for the day of his return."

"But he never came," the one in black finishes for her. She nods in acknowledgment.

"Which is why you think Master Wu can find it."

"Think?" Hardly a word she uses. "I know. Or we will die."

"Yeah, but do you have to keep saying that?" the lightning master quips. She scoffs. What else could she have lived by in this realm?

There is a muffled, familiar thud behind them. It is the sound of the bottom of a speeder chafing against the rocky ground. She turns, dread sinking in her stomach, and watches as two bright lights illuminate the desert sand from afar.

"Hunters," she warns. Her head begins to materialize heavier. She expected them to come with their faster vehicles, but not this soon.

"We need to hide."

"Hide where? We're in the desert!" the blue one rants.

 _Think, Faith_. No places to hide. If they run, they won't get far before they catch them all. She's never had to run from the Hunters before, and she would prefer not to

Play along. Wait until the right opportunity to escape. They cannot outrun, but they can outlast.

"Put those weapons down and do exactly as I say." She pulls five sets of handcuffs from her speeder's safe compartment, launching them at the ninja. "Put these on!" she adjures, her hand tracing her mask. They look at her, confused. They must take action now, or this will not work. "Do it if you want to live!" she urges quickly. She straps on the helmet, concealing herself once more.

Within seconds of the ninja snapping on their shackles, the two speeders pull over. Their occupants: Daddy No Legs and Muzzle. She could see this working, if she plays them right. They're both not the brightest, and they follow her decently well. The two "You caught them, Heavy Metal," Daddy No Legs affirms as they rush out of the rusted-over speeders.

"What do you want?" she questions as calm as she possibly can.

"Well, you can't possibly take them all back by yourself-"

"You can leave," she attempts in as controlled a voice as she can manage. She hopes they don't notice her tense muscles... her held breath... her wide eyes. If they don't leave now, they will see through her. She did not come this far for her hopes to be trampled yet again.

Daddy No Legs chuckles heartedly. "I can see we are not wanted. We'll just be on our way." She barely manages to suppress her relieved expression. "I will tell the Baron of the good news."

The spidered man turns away, but Muzzle won't climb back into his speeder. He begins to mumble to Daddy No Legs.

This is not going to work.

 _Don't give this up, Faith. Not yet_.

"Why, yes, he does look taller. But last time, he was in a disguise." She couldn't have been the only one to realize his growth spurt, then.

This is not what is supposed to happen. She can almost imagine them turning around and disappearing over the horizon. But they are still here.

"Hold it right there, until we can get all this figured out." She holds her breath, her hands tracing the handle of her blade. They know. What is she to do?

She doesn't go far to think of a plan to escape before the fire master has already executed his idea. He grabs the chains and knocks the two Hunters' feet out from under them. The duo land on their backs, looking straight at the swords now pointed in their direction.

"Tie them up!" she orders. They can't have them running off to tell the Baron what has happened. The ninja obey and bind the two tightly to ensure that they won't escape.

"Traitor!" Daddy No Legs yells as he looks straight at her. "Iron Baron will have your head for this!" As if she doesn't already know.

"Go on and run! You won't get far!"

"With your speeders, we'll have a running start," the fire boy retorts with a grin.

"You're no better than those shapeshifting Oni. You hear me, Heavy Metal?" A low remark, but she doesn't say she is letting his words into her mind. "You'll pay for this!" are the Hunter's last words to her before she cannot hear him anymore.

She might pay for it, but it is now her need driving her, no longer her fear. Once they are out of sight, she pulls off the mask. "Which way?" she yells over the whirring of the speeders.

"That way!" the son of the First Spinjitzu Master says, pointing straight ahead.

"Into the unknown."

"And then, Ninjaho!" She can't help but wonder if she is really doing the right thing. He'll kill her this time for betraying him. She is helping the enemy. _My allegiance lies with the truth, Baron_ , she tells him. _You will try to stop me, but I am where I belong_.

She can't say she knows what she's getting herself into. But there is no turning back now. It looks like she'll just have to wait and see what will become of her.

 **A/N**

 **Hey, guys! So I need a bit of help coming up with nicknames for the ninja that Faith uses. I can't keep calling them "blue one" or "red one". I have some names already lined up, but if you have any ideas, feel free to put them in the review section.**

 **Also, I had an idea to write short "between chapters" that are basically fun conversations between episodes where the ninja and Faith talk about random things around a campfire or something. I have a few ideas for one or two, but I'm worried I won't have much time to write them out. If I get a lot of feedback about this saying that you really want me to do this, though, I'll think about it. Let me know in a review if you're interested.**

 **One thing I became aware of this week is that Faith is really the only big female character who wasn't a love interest of any kind. Maybe that's why I like her so much, lol.**

 **Weekly question: OUT OF ALL THE READERS HERE, HOW MANY OF YOU ACTUALLY LIKED FAITH AS A CHARACTER WHEN SHE WAS INTRODUCED? AND HOW DID YOU REACT TO HER BEING HEAVY METAL ALL ALONG?**

 **#God'sNotDead**


	12. Tween: Knowledge is Power

**Silent Dreams 'Tween: Knowledge is Power**

 **Okay, two of you asked for this, and I say that that's enough motivation to get this done. It also just kept bugging me to do a chapter or two where I could take it easy. And, I've been sick recently, which gives me time to do this.**

 **Pardon my dialogue if it's not the best (that was really the main reason why Silent Dreams doesn't have a whole lot of dialogue. Dialogue is my writer's weakness). I hope you all still like this.**

 **I will not be replying to any reviews on this chapter immediately. I'll probably cover those on the Tuesday update. But know that I still greatly appreciate all of you, especially ShinyShiny9 who left me a super long review. Welcome to the review club... if that's a thing!;)**

 **Again, disclaimer: Never owned Ninjago, likely never will. And that's ok. I'm just a fanfiction writer who hopes to develop writing skills through this.**

They had to stop for the night at some point, no matter how tense she was and is about being discovered. But there was no use in losing strength over a bit of gained distance. And her body was already reminding her that she hadn't had a full rest since before the strangers had arrived.

So, she had set up a camp for them in a small valley where they were mostly concealed by the hills. She stoked a small fire to keep them all warm in this cold desert. Now, they sit around the flames, laughing and reminiscing over things she does not understand. But she still sits with them: studying their mannerisms and personalities. All she really knows is that the blue one, the one they call Jay, is annoying beyond recall and is continuously referring to a person named Nya, who she can only assume is a girl that he has fallen for. Kai, the red ninja who's rather sarcastic but determined. But she already knew that just by watching. The metal man. Really no other way to describe the oddity named Zane. Cole, the dirt-wielding ninja who is more the quiet type, but at the same time unusually compassionate and parental. The son of the First Spinjitzu Master sits quietly on his own, mindlessly admiring the millions of stars that she usually never notices.

"So... what about you, Faith?"

"What?" She hadn't really been listening much to their conversation.

"We were jut talking about getting to know each other a little more. Anything special about you we should know about?"

Why would they be so eager to get to know _her_? It's not like she's going to reveal her entire mind in front of these strangers. Just because she is with them doesn't mean she trusts them.

So, she lies. "My first memory was of the Baron."

"Ugh, that's creepy," the little boy in blue comments.

"I hope you pardon my interruption, but you appear to be lying," the metal man says.

"I am not."

"You took 3.9 seconds longer than expected to answer, and your body language-"

"Excuse the robot, Faith. _No one_ can hide _anything_ from him," Jay interjects before the "robot" can prove his point.

"Ro-bot?" she repeats, trying to pronounce the almost-foreign word.

"Just forget it. It's too difficult to explain," Kai dismisses.

Cole looks at her. "You can trust us, you know, right? You don't have to lie."

"I don't trust anyone," she replies directly. That is meant to be the end of the conversation, but the blue ninja doesn't seem to take it as such.

"Seems about right..." Jay murmurs. Kai gives him a fiery look.

She feels the sudden need to explain herself. She inhales. "Where I live, we stay within our clans. Few families within clans will even share recent events. We are rather closed off from each other."

"So you all don't do anything together?" the son of the First Spinjitzu Master asks. She looks at him. "No."

"Wow," is all Kai says after a few moments of silent contemplation.

"But what about birthday parties? Weddings? Graduations?" the blue ninja blurts.

This kid is rather petty. "I do not know what you speak of," she speaks truthfully. "We have coming-of-age celebrations within families, but that is it."

"No wonder it's so boring here." Another look from the red ninja cuts the talkative zappy boy off.

"What was _your_ 'coming-of-age celebration' like?" Cole asks.

Simple question. Simple answer. "I don't know," she says after a moment. "I never had one."

"What?" They look so peculiarly astounded.

"But didn't your family give you one?" Cole asks.

She doesn't answer. She would rather not answer. There's no need to bring up the dead.

They do seem to catch onto the silence, she'll give them that.

"Do you even have a family, Faith?" Kai asks carefully. She breathes heavily, clenches her fists, opens her now-moist eyes that shouldn't have been moist in the first place, because they're _dead_ , as in _gone_... "No."

"Well, you must have had _someone_ at some point," the blue ninja says.

"Jay!" She is glad that the red one has gotten him to shut up for once. She's sure that it's not for long, though.

"What? It's true."

"Why would you want to know?" she asks.

Kai shrugs. "Well, you know, I guess that's how conversations go. You exchange information-"

"Well, I am sorry that I don't know how to carry conversations well. I've spent many years behind a mask," she responds, a hint of bitterness in her voice.

"Then... that's all right. We can teach you," Cole says. Them. Offering _her_ help?

"Yeah, Faith. Just ask us questions, and we'll ask you some other questions," Jay says.

Honestly, she doesn't have anything better to do at the moment. And if she's going to be allied with these colorful elemental masters, she needs to get to know them.

"All right," she concedes. She begins with a question directed to the blue ninja. "Who is this Nya you speak of so often?"

"Oh, now you'll get him going," Kai chuckles.

"Nya is only the most beautiful woman on the face of Ninjago. She has these blue eyes that flow like a waterfall, her laugh is beyond contagious, and when she looks at me, I feel like the happiest person in the world." This is all she hears before he babbles onwards about nonsensical information that has absolutely _nothing_ to do with her. She didn't expect the boy to give such a long and boring answer.

She doesn't know what to say, other than... "You look like an idiot right now."

The blue ninja feigns offense. "Wait till you fall in love, Faith. You'll be just like him."

She turns to the red ninja. "How would you know? Does the spiky-haired red ninja have a special someone in his life?"

"First of all, my name's Kai. And second, let me tell you about Skylor." The red ninja goes on with a grueling tale of meeting a beautiful red-head who once was against him but then warmed up to his charming good looks and irresistible persona. Or so he says.

"He is not the only one. I, too, have found my match," the metal man picks up.

"Ah, yes. The infamous magnetic pair," Kai jokes.

"You too?" she wonders, rubbing her temples, exasperated. "I am surrounded by dreamy imbeciles." She turns to the earth ninja. "I suppose you have someone as well, rock man?"

The blue ninja snickers silently. "What?"

"She just called you 'rock man'," he laughs before answering the question for Cole. "Faith, Mr. Black-Heart single guy over here is all alone," he says, his tone surprisingly lighter than his words imply.

"Hey, I'm waiting for the right one," Cole says to try to defend himself.

"As long as it's not Harumi." They all laugh, other than the son of the First Spinjitzu Master, who looks about as clueless as she feels. It's probably best that she won't try to ask who Harumi is. "That little green machine sure picked a stunning killer."

"I hope they're ok."

The atmosphere immediately feels somber. "Yeah."

The red ninja breaks the long silence. "Anyway, enough about us. Back to that first question, Faith. Where's your family?"

"Unimportant," she answers within a second.

"Oh come on! That's not fair! We answered plenty of your questions. It's about time you answered _at least_ one," Jay complains.

He is right. It is probably best she reveal something to get them to trust her. "I had a family," she answers slowly.

"Yeah?"

"Jay!" Kai silences the impatient blue boy enough with his fired-up tone.

"That is, until Iron Baron decided that he needed to thin the herd," she continues. Her voice is dripping with contempt. "He killed them. He killed them _all_." She bites her lip and turns to the ninja. "Happy now?" she ends, her tone forcibly indifferent.

There is an uncomfortable silence. "We're sorry, Faith. We didn't mean to hurt you," Cole begins. He's always the one trying to mend the torn tapestries, isn't he?

"I'm sure you did," she retorts quietly.

"No, we didn't," Cole insists.

"Then what _were_ you planning to do to me? Make me _feel_ something? Well, it's not as easy as you first think to break this shell." She stops herself from saying more. She didn't even realize how loud she had become. Instead, she holds back, as she has learned to do.

"You know, Faith, this might be hard for you to believe." _Oh, don't even start_. And with that know-it-all tone that the Baron would always use to convince her of some twisted truth about reality. She knows he's only trying to get inside her skin. "But not everyone is like the Baron," Kai says.

"Ha! Please. I wouldn't _ever_ want to be the Baron," Jay agrees.

"But how else could you have power?"

"What do you mean?" Kai asks, his face looking a bit taken aback.

She is careful with her words. "What I mean is... Iron Baron has his ways to control all of his people. He craves control. Without it, he would crumble."

Zane finally speaks up. After analyzing this situation, she's sure of it now. "Faith, have you ever heard of the saying 'knowledge is power'?"

"I'm afraid not."

"It's the idea that true power can only come from knowing someone and their intentions," the ice ninja continues.

"Yeah. I mean, if the Baron can turn you into some sort of unfeeling warrior woman, but he doesn't truly know you, then he has underestimated you."

She has never seen herself as superior to the Baron in any way. He was always placing her imperfections and inferiorities on a pedestal for the entire realm to see. She hates it, but the man's right. She was never close to him in equality, and she never will be able to reach that status.

"Maybe all you need to do in order to break that 'shell' of yours is to be with a family that loves you," the earth ninja starts. He slowly puts a hand on her shoulder in an attempt at comfort. "That's all you've really needed, isn't it?"

She mutters to herself beneath her breath. "It is late. I suggest you get some rest." She lugs herself to her sleeping mat. "Good night."

It is a little while before they answer. "Good night, Faith."

She tries to sleep, but she can't. He _is_ right. She knows it. She has never had a family for long. She _obviously_ doesn't want it. But maybe that _is_ what she really needs.

 **Okay, that's all for today, folks. I hope to see you on Tuesday. Leave your full opinions in a review, please. I hope you all enjoyed!**

 **#God'sNotDead**


	13. Tell the Truth

**Silent Dreams: Two Lies, One Truth- Tell the Truth**

 **Ugh, I'm late again. I might have to change my update schedule to Wednesdays simply because I need more time to finish the chapters. Just too much going on with my real life at the moment. I hope y'all understand.**

 **Shout-outs to Watcher321, skylor chan, JBomb217, and ShinyShiny9 for reviewing! Thank you so much!**

 **Reply to guest review:**

 **JBomb217: No problem. I totally understand. I wouldn't post my personal info online either. Just a plain bad idea in general. I'll see if I'll be able to get the app.**

 **Answer to last week's question: honestly, I have an odd obsession with recording people's reactions to movies and stuff, including myself. So, I actually recorded me screaming when Faith took off her helmet. I know, I'm such a crazy person to watch my reactions, but I just think first-time reactions can be so hilarious and fun to watch. And then I instantly liked Faith as a character. She has this air about her throughout the season that hints to the audience that there's something more to her. My sister likes Faith's "girl power", and that she's emotionally very strong.**

 **And this is probably my worst chapter, so I'm sorry.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of Ninjago.**

 **Previously on Silent Dreams...**

 _Will she refuse to play the pawn for the Baron and_

 _Or will she forsake her only chance of hope, choosing rather to survive than to live?_

 _..._

 _She sets the gun down slowly and reaches for the straps at the back of her mask. She breathes the full air as she pulls it away._

 _..._

 _She can't say she knows what she's getting herself into. But there is no turning back now._

The eclipsed sun rose nearly an hour ago. The ninja team currently helps her in her tweaking of one of the speeder's engines. The ice man stands behind her, ready for her beckon and call. She is about to admit to herself how much easier this is becoming, when...

"Admit it. You're a water hog." The red and blue ninja are fighting like young boys over a water bottle.

She had a rough night of rest after their conversations late last night. The least the two can do for her is work together half decently, but that is apparently too much to ask for. She is beginning to be irritated by not just the blue ninja but his fiery friend as well.

She takes a step off the speeder and walks slowly towards the two, her ferocious eyes and drawn sword scaring them out of their frivolous arguing. Just when they think that she's about to take her sword out on them, she pushes through and slashes a small cactus in half. The desert biennial bursts with water it has stored up since the last storm. "Now we all have water," she grumbles, sheathing the bone blade on her back.

"Thanks," Kai says before rushing to the split cactus.

"Thanks, Faith," Jay agrees, but then she hears more from him directed at the air head. "We're sharing that, you know!"

She sighs as she reaches the speeder. "How you've survived this long is beyond me," she tells Zane before returning to her work.

Every few seconds, she glances at the remaining ninja she has seen the least of so far. Cole stands with the son of the First Spinjitzu Master, their backs turned to her. The earth ninja seems to be telling the young man something. She almost admires how well they interact. She watches as he looks at the boy with caring but corrective eyes, the pride, the forbearing protection. It's almost like she's watching a boy with his...

She can't finish that thought. She hardly knows what a father is supposed to look like. Her own was taken from her too quickly. She turns her concentration back to her work before she gets too carried away.

"Uh, guys?"

She looks up at Cole. He and the boy's eyes are locked on the horizon. She gazes in the direction and can barely discern the "Baron's hunters." It definitely didn't take them long to find the two Hunters they left the night before. She is already grabbing for her mask. "We need to go."

The ninja agree without hesitation. Cole and the son of the Spinjitzu Master pile into their farthest stolen speeder. The blue and white ones begin to drive another. The fire master and her launch the third into action just as the Hunters carry themselves closer, kicking up dust in their tracks.

She catches a glance of a speeder advancing to their left before returning her eyes to the dunes ahead. "I always knew you were a defector!" She ignores Jet Jack's bitter yell directed at her. Only a verification of the truth of her choice.

The opposite speeder aggressively rams itself into theirs. Her body tenses from the impact. A few more hits like that, and it could all go down. Kai taps her on the shoulder, and she nods as she sees the Hunters slowly catching up and surrounding them all.

There is a flash from the light reflecting off of a metal object. The pilot to their right cocks his gun and aims. "Hold on!" she warns abruptly immediately before sending their speeder in a somersault in an act of quick thinking. The pilot misses and hits Jet Jack's speeder instead, sending it burning to the dirt.

"Guys?" She internally groans. As if Hunters in pursuit weren't bad enough. An ice dragon has joined the chase, its frost-capped hostility directed to ninja and Hunter alike.

The only distance weapon they have with them is her own chain gun. "Switch," she suggests. The fire ninja takes the controls just as she loads the gun. "Lose them in the canyons." She momentarily points to the rock formations ahead of them before turning quickly to face the dragon and the Hunters that are both gaining ground quite steadily.

She nearly falls over as the speeder drops into the valley of rock spires. Her eyes widen at the immense, almost majestic-looking formations, like a half-collapsed plateau, a maze of intricately-woven stone. She watches as speeders drop left and right, being taken out by the dragon or turning into smoking remains from the crashes. "Steady," she yells before she relaxes her arms, looks one-eyed down the sight of the gun, braces herself for the kick of the gun...

The chain loops itself around the dragon's middle perfectly. She releases it so that the dragon falls. Its wings clip down the last Hunter's speeder in time for them to escape.

"Where to, son of the Spinjitzu Master?" she calls out once she is back in the pilot's seat.

"An easier path. This way!" She doesn't expect, nor can she identify the fuzziness she feels inside at the sight of all of them safe and unhurt. They do get on her hide more than often, but...

She won't say it's caring about the weirdos, _yet_. It's more like she's... generously warm to them. "We'll follow you," she assures the son of the First Spinjitzu Master as they pick up speed.

 **SILENTDREAMS**

She is numb from the length of time they have spent traversing in the speeders. After the call that was too close just a few hours ago, they can't afford to take any more risks at the moment.

Out of the fog, she sees something she has never found, but it is still eerily familiar to her. A boundless line of dragon skulls on stacked squared rocks stretching from end to end. She signals for the ninja to stop the speeders, and she climbs out to investigate.

This is it. The place infamous enough for none to bother venturing. "Are you sure it's this way?" she asks the son of the Spinjitzu Master. After all, there is a possibility that he is wrong, right?

"Well, we're not going back, because then it'll be our skulls on pikes!" the blue ninja comments. She couldn't have said it better herself.

She studies the boy with intense narrowed eyes as he contemplates very similar to the way he did the first time she asked him about the Dragon Armor.

"Yes. The Dragon Armor is _this_ way," he confirmed as he pointed into the territory beyond the skulls.

"I was afraid you'd say that."

"Afraid?" the fire ninja ventures nervously. "You don't look like the type of person who'd be afraid."

"This is Oni land. As long as we stay on our side, they will stay on theirs," she explains with urgency. "But we need the Dragon Armor."

The earth ninja laughs her words off. "Need? Need' is such a strong word. There could be other ways of getting home."

"Gaining the Firstbourne's trust so that her dragons can ferry us home is the only way back to Ninjago," Zane confirms. _This_ _is_ the only way.

"How dangerous are these Oni?" the son of the First Spinjitzu Master questions.

"Dangerous enough that when Iron Baron and his bravest crossed this line to get the Dragon Blade, he was the only one to come back," she tells him. "Oni have a dark magic about them. A destructive magic. They are like nightfall, consuming darkness." Even as she speaks, she almost feels the air being poisoned by the mere mention of the terrors. "After the stories Baron told us, we know better than to search these lands." "Are you sure the Dragon Armor is this way?" she asks the boy again.

"I… think so."

"Do not let fear guide you. Your first instinct is usually correct," she tells him as she climbs back into the speeder. She straps the mask on again. "We must go, before it gets dark." The ninja look at each other and follow. They must continue if they are going to reach the Dragon Armor before the Baron does.

 **SILENTDREAMS**

The sky is nearly pitch black by the time they reach any sort of new landmark. The spiked walls are nearly insurmountable. She readied her gun for something, anything to rush out at them. She's never seen an Oni before, so she doesn't know what they're supposed to look like, but the moment she sees movement her gun will go off. "So, these Oni. If they're shapeshifters, how will we know when we see one?" "I mean, how do we know one isn't already pretending to be one of us?" As much as the blue boy is trying to remain humorous, he is right.

"Oni!" the earth ninja yells. She twists her head in the direction of the she even fires at the dark overhead being, Kai has already concentrated enough fire and sent it out to engulf the figure in flames. It remains motionless, the fire coating the landscape in orange light.

She lowers her gun. "It's a statue." She walks forward with the ninja, even more focused than before. "A gate," they breathe.

"To an Oni stronghold," she whispers as she stares at the large doors. One is "But it's open." She takes a few steps towards the gate to open it further.

"Um, should we be walking toward it? I really thought we'd be walking the other way." One look for her shuts Jay up.

She lowers her gun at the sight beheld before her. Despite the magnificent structures and oddly still-lit torches, there is no sign of life. "One thing you forgot to tell us about Oni. They're slobs, too."

She unhinges the mask and drops her grapple gun. "Where is everyone?"

"Wherever they are, they haven't lived here for centuries."

She breathes heavily as she realizes something. "That liar! All this time, he lied to us! It was just a story. _Made up_."

"What are you talking about?"

"Iron Baron," she clarifies, her eyes lifting to the ruins of a once-thriving civilization mysteriously devastated. "He made us believe this was Oni land. But no one has ever seen one because… look around! They're all gone!"

"But, where did they go?"

All the plans the Baron had been hiding from her suddenly click in her head the way gears unhinge a gate. "He wasn't enslaving dragons. He was enslaving us!" Her stomach drops with dread as she remembers the Hunters who had left to retrieve her Dragon Blade, the very sword on _her_ back, those Hunters _died_. But they did not die from any dragon assault.

"How could I have been so stupid?" she scolds herself all too audibly. She whirls around to face the son of the First Spinjitzu Master. "Is any of it true? Is there even the Dragon Armor?" she asks.

The boy doesn't look at her directly. Why is he not looking at her? She fantasizes of the possibilities. "I… I don't know," her finally answers.

Her mind shatters. He lied to her too? "Don't know? Don't know?!" she begins to yell. "Do you _know_ how much I sacrificed to help you?" The son of the Spinjitzu Master seems to accept her quick frustration. This only makes her even more furious. He _knew_ he was lying, and he lied anyway. "If we can't get out of here, and Iron Baron finds me, he'll- he'll-" She suddenly feels the urge to _do_ something. In her anger, she launches the thing she's been carrying. It screams and breaks as it hits the wall. It takes her a second to realize that she just threw and shattered her mask. But she doesn't care anymore. She _can't_ care anymore. "Why did you tell me you knew where it was?!" she demanded.

"My father told me in a dream I must have faith. Then we found you." Who does he think he is? Bringing a _dead_ _fairytale_ into this? "I still believe we will find it, even if you don't." Her anger culminates in a fist raised to strike the liar in front of her.

Will she do it or not? There are two voices in her head, fighting for the takeover of the wheels.

Instead, she launches herself at the opened gate, striking the rotted wood again and _again_ and _again._ All the anger that has boiled up inside of her after all these years finally bursts. All the hatred and grief the Baron had forced her to repress until there was no life left.

And for a moment, she is once again pounding her cell door to get to her dead brother even when it had been far too late, as if by turning her fists raw she could bring him back somehow. Then, she is in the arena again, fighting the nightmare named Slab.

How low has she fallen, that she'd even _consider_ taking her anger, her frustrations, her _fists_ out on an innocent life? Is she any different from the Baron anymore? Has he succeeded in making her a mindless minion of mandate?

The boy still manages to step up to her calmly. "Do you mind?" She doesn't answer. She hardly notices until he has stepped ahead to push the gate close. She stops her fit of rage that had already been going on for too long.

She is amazed. From the outside, it was just a normal gate. But from the inside, it is pure gold.

A map is engraved into the wood.

"The Dragon Armor."

"It's in the nest of the Firstbourne."

"It's… real."

"We have Faith. Now we have a map." He looks at her, and she breathes, relieved. "I told you." Maybe there is hope after all.

 **Weekly question: WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE SIDE CHARACTER OR SIDE VILLAIN (E.G. RONIN, MISAKO, BANSHA, ETC.)?**

 **#God'sNotDead**


	14. Sacrifices Made

**Silent Dreams: The Weakest Link- Sacrifices Made**

 **I told myself I was not going to update until I was done with my paper. So I will be posting two chapters pretty close to each other this week to make up for it. I just want to be done with my classes. I have WAY too much going on currently.**

 **Shout-outs to Watcher321, skylor chan, and JBomb217 for reviewing! Thank you so much! And thank you to the newest follower, HP585. You all never cease to amaze me with your support!**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **JBomb217: That's great to hear. I'm always trying to make my writing better, so that's why I'm never satisfied with my chapters. I'm still glad that you all like it, though. I like Ronin even though he can be annoyingly apathetic sometimes. He's the Han Solo of Ninjago, I think. He's always trying to get stuff for himself, but deep down he knows what's the right thing to do.**

 **My answer to last week's question: I really enjoy Faith, of course, and come on, everyone loves Darreth! My sister also likes Darreth, Mr. E, Ultra-Violet, Killow, Jet Jack, and others. I don't think she can decide on just one. :D**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of Ninjago.**

 **Previously on Silent Dreams...**

 _They do get on her hide more than often, but..._

 _She won't say it's caring about the weirdos, yet. It's more like she's... generously warm to them._

 _..._

 _They must continue if they are going to reach the Dragon Armor before the Baron does._

 _..._

 _All the plans the Baron had been hiding from her suddenly click in her head the way gears unhinge a gate. "He wasn't enslaving dragons. He was enslaving us!"_

 _..._

" _If we can't get out of here, and Iron Baron finds me, he'll- he'll-" She suddenly feels the urge to do something. In her anger, she launches the thing she's been carrying. It screams and breaks as it hits the wall. It takes her a second to realize that she just threw and shattered her mask._

 _..._

" _We have Faith. Now we have a map." He looks at her, and she breathes, relieved. "I told you." Maybe there is hope after all._

The flames are surprisingly still sparking bright from their night's stop. The fire master must have kept it stoked through the night. Once again, they had to cover their camp with the brush and canyons, but there hasn't been any sightings of approaching trouble since their escape the day before. She stamps away the campfire's dying embers. "The sun is up. We must go," she says loud enough for the ninja to rouse to.

She yanks a thin blanket off the blue ninja just as he begins to whine about a "breakfast being the most important meal" or something similar that she doesn't understand. She sheathes her dragon bone blade that she lay by her side during the night for scaring away any possible Stalker jackals.

"We are getting closer to the Firstbourne's nest," she explains to the five men. "We will eat when the son of the Spinjitzu Master has the Dragon Armor, and we are all in Nin-yago."

She hears Zane sigh behind her. "It's Ninjago. It's really not that hard to pronounce." She more or less ignores the metal man. They've been rather strict on the pronunciation, but she doesn't really bother. As long as the idea of a world free from the Baron's influence is intact, the way they say it doesn't matter much to her.

"Ah, to be back home in a real bed," she hears Kai muse.

"With real food."

"And cake," Cole continues the string of imaginings. "Why did I ever give up cake?"

Jay blusters at the rather rhetorical question. "'Cause your body is a temple," he snickers.

"What is this cake?" she asks as she turns towards the ninja.

"Imagine all that is good, baked until it's warm and moist, then add a sweet, sugary frosting. That's cake."

"You sound excited. But are you ready for what lies ahead?" she says to turn the subject away from the

"You explained that the Firstbourne is awaiting the return of the First Spinjitzu Master," Zane said. "Being reunited with his son would be a good thing."

"And what if it is not?" she replies. Any normal person would have argued with her "what if" questions, she now realizes. But she has always learned to survive through those constant "what ifs". It's the only way that she is still alive. "Coming face to face with a dragon is one thing, but facing the mother of all dragons is a test you cannot fail."

As she explains, she cocks her harpoon gun and displays it in front of the risen ninja. "Our chains are our only means of survival in this realm. We live and die by these iron bonds and our mastery of these tools." She hands the master of fire the gun. "Let me see you chain that rock," she commands, pointing to a stalagmite.

She watches the elemental glance at the weapon then at the rock semi-uneasily. "Don't worry. It will not move. It should be easy," she assures him.

Kai replaces his questioning expression with a smirk of confidence. "Yeah, yeah. I got it," he dismisses, hauling the gun to his shoulder and looking down its nose with one open eye. "Watch… and learn."

But just as his finger pulls the trigger, the chain backfires and loops itself around an unsuspecting Cole. Its weight pulls him down to the ground, and he groans. The blue ninja "At least you got the Master of Rock."

"It's harder than it looks," Kai defended himself.

She contemplates the situation. They are probably at least a couple of hours ahead of the Hunters. They could stop and practice instead of set off immediately. "Perhaps we should work on this," she suggests.

Within minutes, the three ninja apart from Zane are positioned around the stalagmite with guns she had stored in the back of her speeder. The young men have taken to competing. She is perplexed at the fact that somehow the ice ninja managed to chain the rock first try, but it must have something to do with him being a "robot" as they call him. She watches as they each come closer to succeeding.

Then, she turns to see the son of the First Spinjitzu Master standing idly by. "You need to learn, too, son of the Spinjitzu Master," she says. She hands him her harpoon gun. "We are only as strong as our weakest link."

The son of the First Spinjitzu Master glances at the gun as if it will bite him. "Go on, Master. Give it a try," the master of earth urges.

"We don't stop until everyone can do it," she says.

She spends some time correcting their techniques and aims. "Together." They can only achieve this together. There is no other way. "Not good enough." The son of the Spinjitzu Master looks dismayed as he fails his attempt once again. He throws the gun on the ground and walks off like an exasperated child. Kai follows him, and she draws her attention away from the two to help the other three.

Before she knows it, a fourth chain curls around the stalagmite. She turns to see a beaming Wu. She smiles.

A shadow passes over them, causing them all to look up. An adult dragon silhouetted against the sun flies above their heads, its azure scales shining in the light. "Now let's see if the son of the Spinjitzu Master can ride a dragon," she challenges.

 **SILENTDREAMS**

Their vehicles speed across the rocky ground, striving to keep pace with the lightning dragon above them. The beast is going faster than a normal speed. "She smells your Oni blood," she figures out. "This will not be easy. I'll keep her close to the ground."

As she travels upwards, Zane tries to catch the dragon. However, his chain gun wraps around its neck instead of its wings, and the attempt results in a lightning bolt that nearly knocks their speeder to the ground.

"Aim for her wings! Stay away from her jaw!" she quickly yells. "Work together!"

As a result, the ninja all fire at the same time, and this time, it successfully ensnares the dragon. The son of the First Spinjitzu Master stands on the rocking speeder. "Don't think!" she tells him before avoiding a boulder with her own speeder.

"You can do it!" she hears Kai encourage the young master. The boy steps out onto the wing of the speeder and begins to climb the locked chain. With some luck and perhaps a bit of skill, Wu reaches the creature's scaly back.

"I'm doing it!" he yells. She can hear the triumph in his voice.

Suddenly, the dragon bucks its head, sending the boy flying through the air. She acts fast, steering the speeder to catch the boy before he hits the ground. "I did it. I did it!" he exclaims after a moment.

"You may not be ready to face Firstbourne, but you are starting to look like a dragon rider." Somehow, she smiles. Is she proud of him? As she has gotten to know him over these past few days, she has grown to care more about him as the time passes. There is an indescribable protectiveness from her that cannot be contained in any possible way. Is this how Baba and Mama felt as they raised and cared for her needs? Is this how Seph felt at each exhausting night of story-time and tucking her into bed? Is this how Marcis felt when he knew that staying silent would protect her well-being, even as he was about to be executed?

She supposes they will not stay in this realm long enough for her to figure out, but she hopes it is so.

 **SILENTDREAMS**

They park the speeders on a hill. There is a tall mountain in front of them, and she has to make sure that they need to go over, through, or around it, whichever way would be best to stay unfound in. She takes the map from the ice ninja and studies it. "To get to the Dragon Armor, we need first to get past this mountain." They all study the mountain rigorously. It is entirely steep and daunting, but-

There is a familiar churn of engines grinding against the elements coming from the distance. Her stomach drops in the realization as she whirls around. "We were followed!" She springs to the speeder in an instant, her hands moving to the storage compartment to grab her mask. Suddenly, she notices. She doesn't have it. _No, no, no!_ She remembers. In her anger last night, she had thrown it at the wall and watched it shatter. What is she to do?

There's no time for that now. They need to get away, or they won't live much longer. She starts the speeder, whisking it away before the Dieselnaut- the Dieselnaut?- comes close. That can only mean the Baron is with them.

This cannot end well.

"We'll lose them in there!" the son of the First Spinjitzu Master yells, pointing at a dark cave in the mountain. She silently agrees and steers towards the cavern, picking between the jagged rocks at the opening.

Jet Jack comes into view. The woman sees her face for the first time. "You think you can outrun us?" Jet Jack's face freezes in shock. "Heavy Metal. You're like… me?"

"Not like you. Better!" she replies before accelerating away from the jet-strapped woman.

She pulls through the winding caverns, barely missing the sharp turns of the walls and avoiding falling boulders from the groveling of the Dieselnaut that somehow still manages to pursue them even in these narrow caves.

"Hold on!" Cole yells as they fly over a pile of rocks in the way. The large vehicle behind them blasts its way through the rocks. She is one to know that he is not going to stop until he has them. If she could push the speeder farther, she would. But the Dieselnaut is slowly gaining on them.

There is a yell to their left, and then the Baron is in front of her, gripping the speeder's rails with his clawed hand while aiming a gun at the son of the Spinjitzu Master.

The boy falls. She reaches for him. He manages to grab the side of the speeder just before he would hit the ground. There is the smooth sound of a sword being unsheathed crying out to her. She turns to see Iron Baron gripping _her_ sword and pointing it at her. "Who wields the Dragon Blade now, Heavy Metal?" he cackles.

She has thrown away that identity. He will not call her that anymore. "It's Faith!" she retorts before she reaches for the sword. She wrestles with him for possession of the blade. He suddenly jerks back and tries to stab her, but only succeeds in creating a hole in the front of the speeder. The light from the sparking engine illuminates his oily face.

Her eyes widen as she remembers that Wu is still dangling from the side of the speeder. He cannot die now, not when they're so close to the nest.

"I'm not going to lose the son of the First Spinjitzu Master yet!" she grits through her teeth as she reaches for the boy's flailing hand.

"Son of the First Spinjitzu Master?" She turns and confirms that Iron Baron heard her. She has never made a worse mistake in her life. Did she really just say that out loud? Just as the man steps out to attack them, she places her foot on the accelerator and uses the backup fuel to thrust the vehicle forward. She winces as the hot embers tickle her boot, but the Baron is thrown off.

She sees a stalagmite just ahead. With a short breath, she pulls the son of the First Spinjitzu Master to his feet and grabs his arm. They run along the speeder's wing, pitching the speeder to the right. They manage to land on Cole's speeder just as their speeder makes impact with the stalagmite and bursts in an explosion.

One thing after another. No time to breathe. She looks back and sees that Iron Baron somehow survived and stands on the vehicle pursuing them. How determined can he get?

"There's a way out!" Kai says as he points to a glimmering light source.

The speeder is driven into the now-blinding daylight. "Get me the boy!" she barely hears the Baron grovel at his flunkies. No. He won't take Wu while she's protecting him.

"We'll never outrun them," she tells the ninja. "We need to stop the Dieselnaut!" But _how_?

"How about we take it?" Cole suggests. He pulls out a harpoon gun. "She taught us how to thread iron, didn't she? Work together!" he says.

They slow the speeders to come alongside the Dieselnaut. Kai fires a shot across the distance and latches onto the metal board of the carrier. She turns to the son of the First Spinjitzu Master. It is up to him. "Just like the dragon."

"Remember. Confidence!" Kai tells him once, and he nods before setting out on the chain rope. He barely makes it to the rig before having to take out the three lackeys commandeering it. While he is busy, she reels the speeders closer to the Dieselnaut, and they climb aboard.

She sees that some of the Hunters have chained the back of the Dieselnaut to try to stop their escape. There is one other thing she must take care of. She balances herself along the side of the rig and begins to take out the chains.

And then, she feels a heavy chain snaking around her middle. She acts fast, not hesitating to fight against the chain threatening to pull her towards the sky. Jet Jack must be on the other side of the gun.

Her fingers must be molding the iron, she is holding on so tightly.

There is no way out of this for her. She needs to do something, and do it fast. She looks up. Wu is watching.

All the possibilities of a better life with the ninja dissipate in a flash. The boy can't do anything to save her. He shouldn't suffer to try to keep her from getting captured. So she must tell him to leave, to disappear. "Baron doesn't know where the Armor is. But you do!" Her arms begin to burn from the strain. "Go!" she yells.

"I won't leave you! I have to have Faith! I need you!"

 _He_ needs _her_? What if she is not supposed to be taken? What if the First Spinjitzu Master really told his son about her? Her mind reels at the possibility.

But it shouldn't be like this. His eyes are so painfully concerned.

He needs to know. She is no longer important. He cannot risk his life and their lives for her one. "You _need_ the Dragon Armor!" she yells. With the last of her strength, she pulls herself towards the gigantic screw holding the Dieselnaut together. She twists it away from the cockpit car, leaving the larger part of the Dieselnaut to slowly

"No!" The Baron's all too familiar yell echoes across the terrain.

She watches the vehicle fade into the distance. She swallows. He's going to destroy her. Once she's under his control again, he'll make her suffer. But now, she has changed. Instead of thinking about her own well-being, she only thinks of them, of him. _It is worth it._

 **I really love this episode. How about you?**

 **Question: IF YOU COULD BE A WRITER OF NINJAGO FOR A DAY AND YOU COULD WRITE AN EPISODE, WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT AND WHY?**

 **Expect the next chapter soon! Ardhoniel up and away for now.**

 **#God'sNotDead**


	15. Failure

**Silent Dreams: Saving Faith- Failure**

 **Are you kidding me? Eight reviews? Shout-outs to skylor chan, DonutGirl123 for your five reviews, Watcher321 and JBomb217 for reviewing! Thank you so much!**

 **Replies to reviews:**

 **skylor chan: Yay! If it got you, that's what I want to aim for as a writer, because good stories really make us** _ **feel**_ **things.**

 **DonutGirl123: Wow, I never knew that you would leave five reviews in one day! That's so amazing! Glad to see you on the review team:)!**

 **Watcher321: It's so awesome to know that you wait so expectantly for my chapters.**

 **JBomb217: You always leave the longest and the best reviews. I always love reading them! When you do finally get an account, make sure to PM me!**

 **Yeah, so I said I was going to update twice last week, but that was before things got a little crazy for me IRL, like abnormally crazy. I'm not gonna disclose specifically what happened, but it's settling down now. And something was really odd with my account on fanfiction too, like I couldn't log in, so I couldn't actually update until I found a way to fix it. I'm sorry if that was at all abrupt. I didn't anticipate it either.**

 **My answer to last week's question would be that I would probably just write an episode where they get a break from saving the world and just being a normal family. That would be really nice. My lil sis would write an episode with Jaya and Pixane fluff where "Jaya dancing and Pixane building or something". XD**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of Ninjago.**

 **Previously on Silent Dreams...**

" _We are getting closer to the Firstbourne's nest."_

 _..._

 _There is an indescribable protectiveness from her that cannot be contained in any possible way._

 _..._

" _Son of the First Spinjitzu Master?" She turns and confirms that Iron Baron heard her._

 _..._

 _There is no way out of this for her. She needs to do something, and do it fast._

 _..._

 _He needs to know. She is no longer important. He cannot risk his life and their lives for her one._

 _..._

 _He's going to destroy her. Once she's under his control again, he'll make her suffer. But now, she has changed. Instead of thinking about her own well-being, she only thinks of them, of him_. It is worth it.

So, there she was. Trapped in the grave again. Mama hid her in the ground to protect her when she was too little to defend herself. Slab buried her with his breath when she fought him, again without a way to defend herself. But no matter how much she hates being unable to do anything, this was the worst: being used to ensnare her innocent friends while being incapacitated to do _anything_.

How could the Baron manage to infuriatingly pin her to the ground in the most horrible ways possible?

And of course, like the compassionate imbeciles that they were, they tried to help her out of her predicament. That only managed to get them caught along with her. She still can't get over that.

The Baron didn't pound her to bits then, nor has he since they took her. Only a fleeting moment of mercy. It's not like she's grateful for it.

She has failed. She knows it full well. Everything she has worked so hard for in the last few days is gone. She thought she had made it clear when she let them escape. She made her sacrifice. So for them not to accept it and to come back for her was beyond ridiculous. "I'm sorry," she hears the son of the First Spinjitzu Master say carefully from their positions tied to the posts. His hurt expression is only noticeable by the flicker of the bonfire the Hunters feast and celebrate around. It was almost like they had won a prize: her and the ninja, to be exact.

"I thought I was doing the right thing," he continued. She acknowledges his speaking to her by meeting his eyes. "But I've only made it worse."

She sighs after a moment. No matter how much she would blame him for this, it's not _all_ his fault. Who is she fooling? She could never stay mad at the boy for long. "Your heart is pure, but this realm is cruel," she admits, her eyes turning to the feast. Their behaviors wrinkle her nose in disgust, an intangible stench turning her stomach sour. "I am just sorry you ever had to come to this place."

"Ah, don't sweat it, Little Wu," the fire ninja cuts in. She gives him an annoyed glare. His tone is a little too proud for her liking. "We've seen worse. Any moment, Zane will have cut through these binds, and we'll be out of here."

"I cannot cut through these binds, Kai," the robot corrects his counterpart. "Perhaps there is another alternative you were thinking of?"

"But, Zane, I'm the good looks of the team. You're the brains." This begins a rather humorous squabble among the ninja.

"How can you all make jokes at a time like this?" She must admit that she is just as curious as Wu is about this.

Kai snickers. "You got this one, Jay?" he asks.

"Well, when all hope is lost, sometimes a good laugh is all you need to stay positive," the ninja boy explains. "Helps cope with what's bad while opening your eyes to what's good."

Although the statement is directed at Wu, she listens to the hidden wisdom behind it. She has never thought of it in that way. There was never really any bright side to the situations she often found herself in. Does that mean she never really had a chance at a full life the way these ninja have? She has been with them long enough to figure out that they live very different and much better lives than her. Sure, they have had their good and bad times, but the good always seemed to outweigh the bad for them.

"I understand, Jay," the son of the Spinjitzu Master replies solemnly. Her eyes widen at his next statement. "You _are_ the annoying one."

Wu's deadpan remark brings about a hearty laugh bubbling from her throat. Even despite their soon possible demise, it feels great. "Did I do that right? A joke?" Jay nods, and she breathes hard to regain the air that she lost. Laughing. Such a strange and yet satisfying gesture.

"What is so funny?" Iron Baron asks. He has caught onto their relief.

"What is funny is you feeding them this food to cover the taste of your lies," she switches her tone to her former master. Her very words drip with bitterness.

He chortles mockingly at her in return. "Well, I'd rather be eating food with them than stuck on a pole with you." This is hardly a blow to her. It doesn't even scratch her surface.

"He only cares for himself," she yells, catching the attention of the other Hunters. "If he gets the armor, he'll have no need for you, except to kiss his hat."

The gasps tell her she hit her intended mark.

He is unfazed by her, however. "Let me ask them, Heavy Metal," Iron Baron commands. He turns to his followers. "How can you believe anything she says when she hid behind a mask?"

"It is he who is the fraud," she shoots back. "He forced me to wear the helmet, just as he forced you to be his slaves!"

The Hunters look at each other. She watches as they confuse themselves over her words. It's now or never. She needs to pull the foundation away from beneath their feet in order for them to understand. "We have all heard Baron's stories about how he fought an army of Oni. Well, look around! We are on Oni land, and yet has anyone seen a single one?" Their faces are astonished. She continues. He will keep her silent no longer. The ninja have changed her, and for the better.

"No, you have not. Because his stories are just that: stories! The Oni left these lands long ago, yet he keeps you in fear of them. His power over you is built on lies!" It is just as her whole life was founded on his deception. "Brave hunters died so that he could get the Dragon Blade. How do we know it was not him who took their lives?"

There is really no need to doubt that now. Slowly, she sees the influence she has made. The Baron reacts bluntly, unsheathing _her_ sword. "Not another word!" And there it is again. He is pummeling his subjects into unfortunate silence with his iron fist.

Once all is quiet, he gives her an unforgiving glare. "Now, show of hands. Raise them if you're with her. So I can raise my Dragon Blade to lop them off!" None raise their arms in recognition.

"That's not fair. You bully them!"

"I said, not another word!"

Her body tenses as Iron Baron reaches for the lever that turns the elemental extractor pole on. She fights the urge to struggle against the senseless buzzing that will surely cause her to go insane.

Then, something amazing transpires. She doesn't know how it happens, nor could she explain it. But, somehow, the son of the First Spinjitzu Master has sprung out of his bonds, suddenly a grown man, and holds his own well against the Hunters attacking him. He is still the Wu she has grown to care for, but he seems wiser and much more capable of handling himself.

Every person has a limit, however, even apparently Wu. It is only seconds before the master is surrounded, already vastly outmanned.

The Baron steps forward. "Before you do something foolish, let me make you an offer," he says.

"You want me to take you to the Firstbourne," Wu interjects. See? He is not a complete fool like she often thought.

"Get _me_ the armor, and I'll send your ninja home," Iron Baron purrs.

There is a pause. She can't believe what is happening. Is he really considering? "Do I have your word?"

No. He must not. It's foolish. The Baron never keeps his word. "Don't-"

"Trust me," the lead Hunter says, interrupting her plea. "There's nothing I want more."

She must have assumed too quickly. The son of the First Spinjitzu Master is a fool. He looks at the other ninja, at _her_ , looks back at the Baron...

And drops his acquired staff in surrender. The sound of the clang of the metal weapon against the ground haunts her mind. She sees herself dropping the Dragon Blade in refusal to kill her brother. She sees herself in him.

"No," she can't help but mutter.

"I'm sorry, but we are left with no other choice,"

"We go now, to the Firstbourne!" Iron Baron triumphantly exclaims. She can't stop the worm of worry from digging into her stomach, the persistent pest. To see him in the hands of the one who made her entire life a sorry misery is too much for her to endure.

"Don't worry, ninja," Wu consoles, looking up at his students and friends. "Have faith."

She looks into his dark eyes with concern. What does he mean? He surely can't mean her. The young man is led away without restraint by her enemy. They hurry towards the open desert. "I hope he knows what he's doing," she says to the ninja quietly.

"We've learned not to question him."

If Iron Baron lays a single hand against him... No. She mustn't think like this. Wu is smarter than she gives him credit for. He has done the right thing. As they disappear, she can only hope that the Baron does not take advantage of that while she is unfortunate enough to be unable to intervene.

 **This was short, but so was Faith's screen time in this episode. Most of the big stuff took place in the Ninjago story line. We're almost to the end. It's bittersweet for me, because I love to update, but it also makes me super busy. But it's worth it.**

 **Weekly question: OUT OF ALL THE NINJA, WHOSE TRUE POTENTIAL DID YOU LIKE THE MOST?**

 **I'll see you guys again hopefully soon. Show some love, review!**

 **#God'sNotDead**


	16. Harsh Goodbyes

**Silent Dreams: Lessons For A Master- Harsh Goodbyes**

 **Shout-outs to skylor chan, JBomb217, and Watcher321 (as always) for reviewing! And for favoriting/following. Thank you so much!**

 **Replies to reviews:**

 **skylor chan: Hey, I just visited Universal Studios recently. It was loads of fun! I hope you enjoy this last chapter.**

 **JBomb217: Nya's a ninja, isn't she? :) Unfortunately, I won't be able to reply to any review that you may place for this chapter since I can't PM you, but definitely send me a PM when you get an account. I can't wait until then! Thank you once again for all the support! Hopefully I'll hear from you in September!**

 **Watcher321: That is for certain.**

 **Sorry for the delay (I've never had to milk the fangs of a giant spider before! :D). You know senior life: VERY busy. I might have sort of also not wanted to update my final chapter, because that means it would be the end. Also, hope you all had an awesome Easter weekend.**

 **My answer to the question: True Potentials are rather debatable. I really liked Kai's because he embraced who he was supposed to be, not what he wanted to be, but Nya's was really good because she chose not to be afraid, and drowning the Preeminent was pretty awesome! :) My sister's favorite is probably Zane's because of his accepting who he was, but she also loved how cool Kai's was.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of Ninjago.**

The sun beats down on the desert sand, baking their skin in the high noon hours. She would struggle further against the chains if she wasn't so drained of energy. She hardly notices as an ominous shadow passes over their sorry forms. "I hope that's your Falcon, Zane," Kai slurs from the other pole.

"My receptors pick up that that is an avian scavenger, a harbinger of our approaching demise," the robot ninja replies.

"It's a bone-picker," she informs them as she squints up at the bird. Her stomach churns at the possibility of the bone-picker's reason for coming. "And Zane is right."

"Why does Zane always have to be right? Can't it just be enough that we're tied to giant poles in the middle of the desert, and don't forget Wu is being held hostage, forced to steal Iron Baron the Dragon Armor so that he can become invincible? Can't that be enough?" She sighs. Why did she have to be the one to be stuck with that boy?

"Look," Kai alerts his comrades, his voice dull from exhaustion. "Something's going on." The fire ninja jerks his head towards the conundrum going on among the Dragon Hunters. They are too far to hear their words distinctly, however.

"Probably arguing about which one of us to eat first," Jay assumes.

"Dragon Hunters do not eat people," she retorts. Sure, the blue ninja can be and often is dramatic, but to stoop so low as to accuse her people of being cannibals is more than a little ridiculous.

"That's good to know, Faith. So it isn't all bad," Jay replies. She can't tell if he's being sarcastic or not, though.

"This is our chance." She hardly registers what Kai says. "While they're distracted, let's see if we can get these poles… rocking by… rocking our bodies from side… to side." As he says this, he begins to sway from side to side. She can't really keep herself together when watching these rather ridiculous moves execute.

"Yeah, I'm not doing that," Cole supports her inner thoughts. "That won't be helpful."

"Guys, come on. Teamwork." With an incredibly loud sigh, the colorful ninja begin to rock their poles. "If we all do it together…"

Are they really doing this right now? "I hope the son of the Spinjitzu Master figures something out, because this is ridiculous."

"Hey, it's better than nothing," she hears Jay defend his team. He is doing it as well. With a groan of exhausted frustration, she joins in the charade.

 **SILENTDREAMS**

It is a long while before they can get the poles walking. But the notion that Kai's idea would work in the first place is what is really causing her anticipation to rise in enormity. "Teamwork, teamwork, teamwork!" the ninja chant cheerfully.

"I can't believe this is working," she audibly vents to them. The First Spinjitzu Master must be looking out for them indeed. "We _do_ have a little faith," Jay cleverly plays.

"Teamwork, teamwork, teamw-"

Her body freezes when she sees Jet Jack, who did not accompany the Baron in his way to the nest, has floated in front of the lightning ninja. "What do you think you're doing?" her accented voice edged with threat.

"Uh, nothing." Jay lies rather poorly. She holds her breath as the winged woman brandishes her blade. "They are gonna eat us!" Jay screams.

Instead, within a second, their chains have been cut, and she lies on the hard ground, the breath knocked out of her. She takes a moment to gather her strength, then she pushes herself to her feet and brushes the dust off her clothes. "I don't know if I should thank you, Jet Jack, or prepare to fight," she wonders aloud as she raises the only weapons she possesses: her fists. She is dehydrated, starved, and drained, but she will fight to her last if she must.

The outsiders then begin to babble about who to eat and who not to eat. She would laugh at the atrocious thoughts if the situation wasn't so dire.

"We got to talking, and this Dragon Armor business has gone too far." What is Jet Jack telling her? Have they actually been discussing what _she_ told them the night before? She can hardly even _remember_ what she said. It seems like an eternity ago.

"Iron Baron speaks of serving his people, but he only serves himself."

"Yeah, he's kind ov a… jerk," Chew Toy adds. She couldn't have said it better.

"We fear with Firstbourne by his side, he will become... well, unforgiving."

"Wait, wait," Kai interrupts. "You're telling me all this time, while they're getting closer to the nest, you guys were arguing about whether or not to release us?"

"He's shown his true colors, and they are colors no one likes." Jet Jack steps towards her, placing a gloved hand on her shoulder. It is an unfamiliar weight. The weight of a trusting ally. Has she ever had one of those before? "I can put aside our differences, if you think you five can make a difference."

She nods. She understands now. These Hunters were just as blind as she was. It just took them a little longer to defy their ways. It would take longer in any normal situation, if she's thinking straight. Perhaps she was just more eager to throw off her old self than they were.

"We'll follow their tracks. Let's go and stop them, before it's too late."

 **SILENTDREAMS**

Nothing she can say can express the amount of disappointment she contains inside her mere being right now. She was supposed to help him. She was supposed to _be there_ for him. He is not meant to be alone in this.

But the bridge is gone, the remains lying at the bottom of the cliff separating her and him.

She can't just wait for him to return. He won't return if she does nothing. The Baron will surely kill him.

The worst action is the inability to act on anything at all. She cannot control this. No one can. And that's what terrifies her. "It's too late."

What is she supposed to do now?

 **SILENTDREAMS**

It is dawn when the chaos begins. A horde of flying reptiles spew from the mountain ahead of the fallen bridge, directly behind where she and the ninja had returned from. She almost thinks she's fighting the mother dragon again, back when Iron Baron lost his limbs. "Look!" "Firstbourne!" "Run for yer lives!" They all push her aside. Each attempt to escape with their lives, not caring if they endanger other lives in the process of getting away.

"No! Wait! Look!"

She opens her eyes- were they really closed just now?- to the wind whipping her disheveled hair and blowing dirt around her.

Somehow, there is something oddly familiar and strangely satisfying about this portrait painted in front of her. Wu, the boy she once knew, the unconfident adolescent who could hardly lift a chain gun, now stands proud atop the large beast, dressed in the finest golden armor that she can imagine. It's almost like a dream. _Her dream_.

"He's riding without chains? How is that possible?" Jet Jack asks.

The words of her wise oldest sister come back to her, and she smiles fondly at them as she remembers. "The Dragon Master doesn't need them," she repeats as her eyes follow the dragon across the sky.

It's just how she imagined it, all those years ago.

"You did it! You actually did it!" the ninja call out to the landing man.

"What about Iron Baron?"

"Iron Baron's days are over. He showed his true colors, and Firstbourne was not impressed," the Dragon Master answers.

There is nothing but cryptic whispers. "He's gone?" Wu simply nods.

Even amid the cheering and joyous celebration, she doesn't understand something. For some strange reason, she can't breathe. Why does it have to be like this? If he's gone, he can't hurt her anymore. If anything, the weight of guilt should be gone. Is he really, _truly_ gone?

"You did well, Master." She smiles as the ninja bow respectfully to their born leader.

Suddenly, a thought strikes her. A leader. Where is her leader? The gleeful grin transforms into a troubled expression as she ponders.

She notices that Wu has fixed his eyes on her, his gaze softening her being. "Faith," he starts. "We promised to bring you with us." He holds his hand out to her, his face a little too aglow with happiness. "You can ride with me."

The person in the back of her mind still nags at her. A leader... What are the other Hunters going to do without a leader to replace the Baron?

"You kept your word, and that means the world to me…" she says. But then, she looks back.

Their faces. All so needy and asking for things that _she can give them_. "But I am needed here."

"I thought you hated this place."

"I did." _Do the selfless thing for once, Faith_. She has to stay here, for their sakes.

Perhaps something good came out of her being the Baron's right-hand-"man" after all. They look to her for stability. They admire her. Certainly an admiration that was not paid due to the Baron. It is not what she would have preferred, but it really is the only way. Without her, this realm would fall to pieces. Or worse, a leader even more terrible than the Baron could rise.

"But you taught me that with courage, things can change. And I would rather stay and fight for change in my home than run. But I cannot do it alone."

They _need_ her. She was so wrapped up in her own problems that she didn't bother to listen to those around her. She is not the only one who has lost a loved one to the Baron's cruelty. They have to go through this together, or they will never get through it at all.

It is not in vain, however. Her efforts to explain her change of mind hit home. "Faith, if you ever need help, you know you have friends in Ninjago," Kai says with a reassuring smile.

"And you have friends here in the First Realm," she continues.

"Master Wu, get us home." The Dragon Master calls the creatures to him, and each elemental climbs the winged reptiles.

In a flurry of light, they take to the skies and disappear. "Where did they go?"

"Ninjago," she answers, her face as one in awe. She doesn't even realize that she finally said their home's name correctly.

 **SILENTDREAMS**

Well, it happened. He came. She met him. He's gone now. But why does she feel unsatisfied?

He really did do everything she thought he would do. He fulfilled her own prophecy. He flew with her. He guided her through the sky to show her all the things that could be, if only she were the one to take the action to change it.

Although he was the one that physically matured, she grew the most. He showed her how to lead, though they both didn't know it at the time.

She's sure she'll see him again. One day he might return. But until then, she will do her best to make her home the best it can be.

 **Well, there you have it. Silent Dreams has reached its end.**

 **This is a bit of a weird question, but I really would like to know:**

 **DID YOU ALL LIKE THIS STORY? HOW WELL DO YOU THINK I DID WRITING THIS STORY'S PLOT, CHARACTERS, ETC. WHAT WERE SOME THINGS YOU THINK I COULD HAVE DONE BETTER?**

 **Answering this will certainly benefit me and help me improve my writing.**

 **This is goodbye for now, sadly. Until next time,**

 **~Ardhoniel**

 **#God'sNotDead**


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